Tia's Story: Book 5
by niceracheal
Summary: Finally off the Island, Tia struggles with Jack telling her she needs to go back. Sure, her life isn't perfect since she's returned, but would going back be the best thing for her? Certainly not if Benjamin Linus is involved. In Book 5, meet the mysterious Eloise Hawking, the DHARMA Initiative, and figure out if the ones she left behind are really in danger.
1. My New Plans

Night is falling as I make my way to my apartment in Los Angeles. I told Sayid half an hour, giving myself fifteen minutes of leverage. I don't know where he's been for two and a half years. I'm not meeting him unarmed.

I run up the stairs, too impatient for the elevator. I reach under the bed and grab my glock and its extra magazine, ready to meet Sayid.

It's a fifteen minute walk from my apartment to Santa Rosa. I make it in ten and the sun starts to fall. I look around the facility and Sayid is nowhere to be seen. I sit on a bench, just of the facility's grounds. I notice a car parked at the curb and a dark figure walk up to it. There's an exchange of words then…_pop_.

I stay completely still, my hand holding the gun inside my purse. Why would Sayid send me here? As the figure approaches me, I notice that it is Sayid.

"What the hell?" I whisper to him. "You just killed that man."

"I'm aware," he says sternly. "Come on, we have to get Hurley."

"No. Not until I get some kind of explanation."

"We don't have time for this."

"I've got all night," I say, leaning back on the bench and crossing my legs, careful to keep my hand in my purse, holding my own gun.

Sayid takes a deep breath. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with why you killed that man."

"Because I have reasons to believe he had intentions of hurting Hurley."

I nod my head. At least we're getting somewhere. "Where have you been? I haven't seen or heard from you in over two years."

"I've been working for Benjamin Linus."

At these words, I'm on my feet, my gun pointed at Sayid's face. "You better not be telling the truth," I say. "I've spent the better part of three years tracking him down. Making nice with Charles Widmore."

Now Sayid's gun is on my head, a snarl pursing in his lips. "You've been working with Charles Widmore?"

"Yes, to find Ben and kill him."

"Have you forgotten what Charles Widmore did to us? Who sent the boat of mercenaries to kill us? Who planted a fake crash at the bottom of the ocean? He's the reason we've had to lie all these years!"

"You don't think I realize that? I've only been working with Widmore because Sun and I believe he's our best chance to Ben. If we can get to Ben, we can kill him and get on with our lives."

"I agree that Benjamin is a bad person. And if he were standing here, my gun would be pointed at his head and not yours. Why do you need to kill Ben? Why does Sun?"

"Who do you think she blames for Jin's death?"

Sayid looks taken aback. "I always thought she blamed Jack."

"Nope, she blames Ben. And so do I. Every death that happened on that Island after you and I found Henry Gale hanging from a net in a tree. Libby, Ana Lucia, Charlie…All of that was Ben. And a man who has that much blood on his hands needs to die."

Sayid takes a deep breath. "I'm going to lower my gun now. I would like you to do the same."

I nod and lower my gun as he lowers his. "Take Hurley," I say. "If you think you can keep him safe, keep him away from Ben, then be my guest. But there's something you need to know."

"And what is that?"

"He's crazy. He's in that ward for a reason. I visited him not too long ago. He told me he's been having frequent conversations with dead people. Including Boone and Shannon." Sayid's face flickers when I mention his old flame, the sister of my old flame. "He won't take his meds. He's crazy, Sayid. So you need to be careful when you keep him safe."

Sayid nods, then starts to head into the building. I put my gun back in my purse and pull my sweater tight around me and start walking back to my apartment.

* * *

><p>In the morning I make a pot of strong coffee. Being held at gunpoint by your former best friend is bound to give you a restless night's sleep. I turn on the television for background noise as I pour the coffee, eyeing my bottle of scotch across the room. Nope. Not today.<p>

"The victim was found shot in his car on the grounds of the Santa Rosa hospital, a private mental health care facility outside Los Angeles," the television news anchor says, my head jerking up instantly at the words Santa Rosa. "Police have now identified their suspect in the shooting as a patient at the hospital who escaped earlier this evening as Hugo Reyes." I walk into my living room and see a picture of Hurley, holding a gun on a balcony of some sort in a bathrobe. "Now if that name sounds familiar to you, that's because Reyes was a member of the infamous Oceanic Seven. As to why he may have murdered a visitor to the facility where Reyes lived for two years that remains a complete mystery."

I grab my phone out of my purse, struggling to look back at my calls. There's the number Sayid called me from. I press the_ send_ button and it rings twice. "The number you have dialed has been disconnected…."

"Damn it," I mutter, hanging up and throwing the phone on the couch. But as soon as it reaches the cushion, it starts to ring.

I pick up the phone, answering it. "Hello?"

"Tia, its Sun. I'm sorry about yesterday. I missed my flight. I hope you weren't waiting long."

I let out a breath. "No, Sun. Thank you for calling. Do you need me to pick you up at LAX?"

"No, I grabbed a taxi to the Marriot downtown."

"Oh, great." I pause before asking my next question. "Did you talk to him?"

Sun takes a minute to respond. "We shouldn't talk about this over the phone. Can you meet me at my hotel? I'd come to your apartment, but I don't know my way around the city."

"Absolutely. I can be there in forty-five minutes."

I knock on the door of the hotel room and Sun opens it. "Tia," she greets with a smile, and I fall into her arms in a warm embrace.

She leads me into the room. "Where's Ji Yeon?" I ask, sitting on the couch. "I haven't seen her in so long. If she's anything like Eliza, I bet she's grown."

Sun pulls out a camera from her purse and turns it on, finding a picture and handing it to me. An almost three Asian girl smiles up into the camera. "She's at home with her grandmother. She is getting big. And she's so smart."

"And beautiful," I complement, handing the camera. I take a breath and get down to business. "So, I assume you met Widmore."

"He had me detained at airport security in London," she says and my jaw drops in shock.

"What did you say to him?"

"Only what we rehearsed. That we have common interests. Then I handed him my card and your card and walked away."

"So why did he detain you?"

"Because he thought I was being disrespectful. But I told him about Ben and what we wanted to get done."

"What did he say?"

"He gave me Ben's information. He's been tracking him like us, only his resources are more vast. He has more experience with this kind of thing then we do." She reached into her purse and pulls out a folder. "He's planning a meeting at a boat pier tomorrow night."

"A meeting with who?" I ask, taking the folder. But as soon as I look at its contents, I know the answer.

"With Jack." I flip through the contents of the folder. There's Jack with a shaggy beard, walking out of a funeral parlor with Ben. Carrying a casket with Ben, driving away with Ben. And pictures dated yesterday, of Ben and a clean shaven and in a suit, with Ben outside of Jack's apartment building.

"So what's the plan?" I ask Sun, ready for action.

"We need to keep Sayid, Kate, and Hurley away from Ben," she says.

I let out a huff. "Well, we don't need to worry about Sayid and Hurley," I say.

"Why not?"

I explain the events of last night and Sun's eyes grow wider with each word. "He pointed his gun at you?"

"Yeah, but I had mine on him first. I'm fine, don't worry about it. The important thing is that he'll keep Hurley away from Ben at all costs."

"So that just leaves Kate."

"Yeah, Kate and I are kind of in a rough patch. We've been in a rough patch for about two years now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I can take care of Kate if you'd like."

"That would probably be best," I agree. After a few moments of silence, I change the subject. "Did you hear about Bentham?"

"Who?" Sun asks, looking confused.

"Jeremy Bentham? Did he not come to see you?"

"I don't know a Jeremy Bentham."

"Oh, yes you do. It's Locke."

"Locke is here?" she asks, slightly panicked.

"Not any more. He died three days ago. Suicide."

She looks sad for a moment, then continues. "Why was he here? How did he leave the Island?"

"How did Ben leave the Island?" I counter. "I don't know how, but I know why. He wanted us to come back."

"To the Island?" I nod my head. "Why didn't he come to see me?"

"I don't know, Sun. But we can't worry about that now. We need to stick to our plan."

She nods her head diligently. "Alright. I'll keep Kate away from Ben. What are you going to do?"

"I can't think of anything better to do than to follow Ben. Figure out what he and Jack are up to."

"Sounds like a plan. You can follow him to the pier?"

"Where we'll kill him. Together."


	2. Flashback: The Lie

The sun beat down hard on my neck. That raft trip that we're planning is really gonna kill the back of my neck. "We need to regroup. Fill each other in," I say, after Jack makes yet another case for a lie. "Sun, Kate, Jack, and I were all together. Frank, Desmond, Sayid, you were all on the freighter. Hurley, you were with Locke's group. We need to fill each other in on the last couple of days."

"Well, the boat was pretty exciting," Desmond says, his arm around Penny. "I guess most of you don't know about your mate Michael. Tia, you looked surprised when I told you he was below deck."

"Yeah, I was. What the hell was he doing here?"

"He was a spy for Ben, dude," Hurley says. "Locke, like, gave Ben freedom in exchange for info on the boat, 'cause Ben, like, had a spy."

"And the spy was Michael?" Kate asks, holding Aaron.

"Yes," Sayid says.

"He got Walt back. The Others let them go. Why would he work for Ben again?" Kate asks.

"He didn't explain exactly," Sayid says. "The best I can figure is that life was not so pleasant when he got back."

Everyone pauses at this suggestion.

"What else happened on the boat?" Jack asks, breaking the silence.

"That man and his team, Keamy—," Sayid says.

"You mean that crazy marine guy who killed Ben's daughter?" Hurley asks.

"Yes, that one. He came to the Island to capture Ben and he didn't care who he killed to get it done."

"But one of the Others killed him?" I ask.

"Yeah," Kate says. "His name is Richard."

"Okay, so the Others killed Keamy's mercenary team. Ben brought Michael on the boat—,"

"And you lost your appendix!" Hurley exclaims, cutting Jack off.

Jack chuckles. "Yeah, that happened. So now we need a story," he continues. Everyone in the group fidgets awkwardly and Jack sighs. "Look, I know we don't want to do this, but it has to be done. Charles Widmore, he wanted us to look dead. It's why he planted that fake crash below the ocean."

"And now we need to protect a group of people who disappeared on a moving Island?" I ask.

Jack rolls his eyes. "The Island didn't move," he says.

"Dude, you can't keep denying that. It disappeared right in front of us!" Hurley says.

"Let's just assume Widmore can find the Island. We need him to believe that we'll go along with whatever he suggests."

"Fine then. What's our story?" I ask.

"Well, I've been thinking about this. What if we say the plane landed in the water and all of us got out with a few more survivors who later died? Namely Claire, because we'll need to explain Aaron." Kate hugs Aaron closer to her chest.

"Who will we pick?" Sayid asks.

"Boone, Shannon, and Libby," Jack says, looking between Sayid, Hurley, and myself. "You three had relationships with them. What if you slip?"

"Not Shannon," Sayid says. "Who will believe that a brother and sister made it out together? Keep Boone. Not Shannon."

"Charlie then." I say. "He was in that band, Drive Shaft. He's a public figure people will recognize."

"So Charlie, Boone, Libby, and Claire who all died before rescue."

We shape the rest of our story, piece by piece, making it believable. Penny and Desmond throw in suggestions as third parties. Frank brings everyone beer. Throughout the whole process, Hurley is the least interactive. When we have a solid story, he speaks up. "Dude, they'll find out."

"Not if we stick to the story."

"I don't know, Jack," Sayid says. "It could be a risk."

"It's the only way. We have to do this. Look, we're running out of time. We gotta make a decision now. So are we all okay with this?"

"This is a decision that will affect the rest of our lives. I'm not taking it lightly," Sayid says.

"Kate?" Jack asks.

"Yeah," she agrees.

"Sun?" She just nods her head.

"Frank?"

"What?" he says, his head jerking up.

"Sorry you got dragged into this, but we need to know that you're with us."

"Whatever you guys decide, I'll just roll with."

Jack turns back to the group. "Hurley, what about you?"

"I don't think we should lie, dude."

"We need to protect the people that we left behind, Hurley."

"How does lying protect them?"

"It protects them from Charles Widmore. The guy hired a boatload of people to kill all of us. He faked a plane crash. I mean, you think if we tell the truth that he's gonna leave them alone?"

Hurley turns to Penny. "Look, he's your dad, right? Can't you just, like, call him off?"

"There's no calling my father off."

"But he'll never find them. I mean, the Island disappeared. We all saw it. It's gone. Bloop!"

"You think anyone's gonna believe that? Believe any of it? They're gonna think you're crazy."

"Not if someone backs me up. Sayid, come on," he says, turning. "They'll think I'm nuts if I tell the truth. But what if we all do? And if we can stick together, we can make 'em believe us. I don't want to spend the rest of my life lying. Do you?"

"No," Sayid says. "But I don't believe we have a better choice." Hurley drops his head in disappointment. "Sorry, Hurley, but we have to lie."

"You know what, dude? I'm gonna remember this. And someday, you're gonna need my help, and I'm telling you right now, you're not getting it."

There's an awkward pause as Jack asks the rest of us if we're okay with the plan. I agree and Penny sets the boat on course for a small Indonesian island where we hide below deck and Penny and Desmond buy what we need. Then we set the boat for Membata, a small island near the Sunda Trench where the fake plane rests. We get off the boat and paddle our way to Manukangga. I did get a really bad sunburn.


	3. Hit By A Dart

Outside of Jack's apartment, in the parking garage, Ben exchanges papers with a man, while sitting in a van. Then the man leaves and Ben drives away. I follow.

His van goes about three miles before stopping at a butcher shop. Ben enters the shop and exits a few minutes later, getting back in the van and pulling it around the back of the shop. I get out and follow around back where Ben and a woman with short blonde hair pull a casket out of the back. I remember the pictures of Jack and Ben as a funeral parlor. And who do we know who's died recently.

I'd bet my trigger finger that John Locke's body is in that casket.

I can't follow Ben any more with my car or he'll get suspicious. I make a call. "Hello?"

"Hunter?" I ask, alerting my assistant that it's me.

"Ms. Samuels. What can I do for you?"

"I need a car. Anything small at the butcher shop on West and Dunn."

"Absolutely. Oh, while I've got you, Mr. Widmore called. Said he needed to speak with you. That it's urgent."

My heart starts beating faster. "Thanks Hunter. I'll need that car pronto."

"You got it."

I hang up the phone and dial Widmore's number. The car won't be here for at least thirty minutes.

"Widmore Industries," a British female voice answers.

"Yes, I'm returning a call from Mr. Widmore. This is Tia Samuels from Samuels Investments International."

The woman's voice becomes stern. "Yes Ms. Samuels. Right away."

I'm put on hold for about twenty seconds. "Ms. Samuels," Widmore answers.

"Hello Charles. My assistant told me you called."

"Yes. It seems our business partner Sun Kwon, the company manager of Paik Heavy Industries contacted me yesterday."

"I'm aware."

"Ms. Samuels, you and Mrs. Kwon are playing a dangerous game. And embarrassing me in public in front of my associates is not the way to do it."

"Mr. Widmore, with all due respect, we only needed one thing from you. As we understand it, Benjamin Linus has been as much a thorn in your side as he has been in ours. Mrs. Kwon and I see this as a favor to you."

Widmore takes a pause. "You may think you know Benjamin Linus, but you don't know the half of it. And killing him is not going to get you what you want."

"And how is it you know what I want, Charles?"

"I know many things, Ms. Samuels. How did you enjoy the cinema with your niece Eliza last weekend?"

I take a breath, thankful that Widmore cannot see my startled face. "Following me wasn't part of the deal, Charles."

"Tia, you must be foolish if you don't think I have tabs on all of the Oceanic Seven. After all, I tried to make you look dead once. When seven people come back from the dead, it puts a damper on my plans."

"Well I'm sorry about that. But you've had three years to construct a new one. I know I would be disappointed in myself if I hadn't thought of a new plan sooner than that."

"Oh, Ms. Samuels, I do have a plan. And when you figure out what it is, because I suspect you will eventually, you'll be sorry you and Mrs. Kwon ever got on my bad side."

Widmore hangs up the phone as my new car swivels around the corner.

* * *

><p>According to the papers I got from Sun (or Widmore, depending on your point of view) Jack was suspended from the hospital after stealing large amounts of oxycodone. This kinds of pisses me off a little because he knows full well my father overdosed on oxycodone to kill himself. Jackass.<p>

There's no way to find Ben again without him getting suspicious of my car so I've decided to go back to Jack's apartment and attempt to trail him from there. When I get to the parking deck of his apartment complex, however, a new car is parked next to his, and it's one I recognize.

Hurley's father, David gets out the front and goes into the building. About four minutes later, he and Jack are back. I roll down the window and duck my head so it looks like the car is empty.

"Hugo said I could trust you. I wasn't so sure. But he swore I could, so... can I?" David asks.

"Yes. Of course," Jack assures him.

"All right."

The hatchback of his SUV opens and he and Jack fiddle with something in the back. I can't see anything because I'm ducked under the dashboard.

"What happened to him?" Jack asks.

"Hugo said he got hit with some dart. Must've been some drugs or something."

"And where is Hurley right now?"

"At our house, freaking out."

"Help me move him over to my car. I'm gonna have to get him to the hospital."

"No." David protests. "No, Hugo said that whoever did this, they'll come back after him."

"All due respect, Mr. Reyes, but you brought him to me, so I'm gonna do what I think is best for Sayid."

My jaw drops. Something must have happened to Sayid, and now he's unconscious in the back of David's car.

"All right, fine," David agrees. "Take him to the hospital. But with all due respect to you, Dr. Shephard, when this is over, you're gonna do something for me."

"What?"

"Stay away from Hugo. Whatever it is you talked him into, something tells me you don't have his best interests at heart. So stay away from my son."

I assume Jack agrees and I hear them move a large object, presumably Sayid's body, from David's SUV to Jack's Bronco. The car door of the SUV opens and shuts, then the engine starts and the car drives away.

"Ben?" Jack says. I hear no response, so I assume he's on a phone. "Guess who just showed up at my door…Sayid."

His car door opens and closes and I hear the engine start. I sneak a peek and Jack is driving away. He said he was going to the hospital, so I turn my car on and follow him there, running into him at the intersection on Ulysses Street. I do my best to keep my face hidden by my long hair as I follow him to the parking deck of the trauma ward at St. Sebastian Hospital.

I pull my gun out of my bag. I'm not going to risk taking it into a hospital. I pull out my phone and call Sun.

"Hello?"

"Sun? It's me. I know what Jack and Ben were doing at the funeral parlor."

"What?"

"They stole Locke's body. Ben took it to this butcher shop. Don't ask me why, but I had to ditch him before he noticed my car."

"Where are you now?"

"Well, that's the interesting part. I'm following Jack to the hospital. Hurley's father took Sayid to him unconscious. Said he was hit by a dart."

"A dart? Well, where is Hurley?"

"His parents' house. I think he'll be safe there. We can't worry about him right now. Not while Jack has Sayid."

"Where is Ben?"

"I don't know, but Jack called and told him he had Sayid."

"So they are definitely working together?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Keep following Jack. I'll figure out how to find Ben."

"What about Kate? How did that go?"

"Her and Jack are in a really rough place right now, so there's no way she trusts him, but she thinks someone knows we're lying."

"What? Why would she think that?"

"A lawyer came to see her, demanding a sample of her's and Aaron's blood to prove that she's not really his mother."

"Who is this lawyer working for?"

"I don't know. Kate left to find out."

"Is Aaron with her?"

"Aaron's with me."

"With you?"

"I'll keep him safe, don't worry. Just follow Jack. I'll keep Aaron away from Ben."

"Okay. See you tonight."

I hang up and head into the hospital. Since I'm dressed rather nicely, I do my best to look like I belong. The place is crowded, but luckily I spot Jack, grabbing some stuff off of a cart and taking it to a room. I follow him into the room.

Jack is filling a syringe with a clear liquid and jumps when I enter the room, looking at me in shock. Sayid is laying on the bed, hooked up to an EKG machine, unconscious.

"What are you doing?" I ask him, eyeing the needle.

"What are you doing here?" he asks me, ignoring my question.

"I asked you first."

"I'm trying to save Sayid's life," he says innocently.

I roll my eyes. "Cut the crap, Jack. I know you're working with Ben."

Another wave of confusion passes over his face. "How did you…?"

"Oh, it's okay, I don't blame you. I'm working with Charles Widmore," I say, sitting in the spare chair beside the hospital bed.

"You're what?" he asks, suddenly outraged.

"Well, technically Sun and I are both working with Widmore." Jack stares at me, dumbfounded and I gesture to Sayid, still unconscious on the bed. "Aren't you gonna save him, Jack?"

"You're not gonna stop me?"

I purse my lips. "Well, if you kill him, I'll kill you. Call it an eye for an eye."

Jack nods and goes back to the syringe, filling it the rest of the way and injects it into Sayid's arm.

Nothing happens and Jack checks the EKG machine. "Come on. Son of a bitch. Come on, Sayid. Come on," Jack says.

He shines a light into Sayid's eye, opening the lid with his finger. The next thing I know, Sayid is on his feet, pinning Jack against the wall by the neck. "Sayid," Jack grunts. It Jack. Hey!"

Sayid recognizes him and lets him go, sitting back down on the bed. I haven't moved once. Didn't even flinch.

Sayid pants out his breath as Jack tells him it's okay, rubbing his neck.

"What happened?" Sayid asks.

"You're fine. You're in the hospital. Hurley's father brought you to me," Jack tells him.

"Hurley's father?"

"Sayid, you've been attacked."

"Where's Hurley?"

"He's at his parents' house."

"Who's with him?"

"I don't know. His mother, maybe?"

"Does anyone else know he's there?"

Now it's my turn to chime in. "Probably Ben, right Jack?" I say, and Sayid's head jerks in my direction.

"What are you doing here?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Trailing Jack. Trying to find out what he and Ben are up to. Making sure he doesn't kill you. You're welcome, by the way."

Jack hooks Sayid up to an IV and I decide to leave. "Okay, now that you're awake, I believe you can take care of yourself. Have a nice day, gentlemen," I say.

"How could you think I would kill Sayid?" Jack asks me, clearly offended.

"I don't know, Jack. How could you get addicted to painkillers after you know that's what killed my father?" I leave the room and walk back to my car, making the drive to my apartment.


	4. The Pier

Sun and I regrouped in the morning over telephone. Kate was too scared to go back to her house, afraid that the lawyer would come with the authorities to take Aaron away, so she stayed at the hotel with Sun.

I had a gun hand delivered to her this morning, hidden as a box of chocolates. We're positive that Ben and Jack are regrouping at the pier tonight and it's possible Sayid will be with them. After all, I left him with Jack for a whole night and he spent two years working for Ben. Plus, he promised to keep Hurley safe, and now Hurley's wanted for murder.

My phone goes off around noon. "Hello?"

"Tia? It's me."

"Hurley?" I ask, surprised.

"Hey dude. Jack said you knew about Sayid. I guess that means we're cool now."

I hear a lot of noise in the background. "Hurley, where are you?"

"Dude, I'm totally cool. I'm in L.A. County lockup. Ben can't get to me now."

"Hurley, did Sayid tell you to get arrested?"

"No. Ben showed up at my parents' house last night, freaking me out. I turned myself in to get away. There's no way he can get me from here." Hurley pauses, then comes back. "Dude, I've gotta go. Just tell Sayid I'm safe."

Hurley hangs up the phone and I stare out my large window in confusion.

* * *

><p>I drive up to Sun's hotel and she has a blonde toddler on her hand. I can't believe it. Aaron. He got so big!<p>

I park the car at the loading zone of the hotel and get out, walking up to Sun, who's smiling at the look on my face as I take in Aaron.

"Aaron, this is Tia. She's known you since you were a tiny baby," Sun says to the toddler, who hides behind her skirt.

I bend down at his level. "Hey, buddy. I know you don't remember me. But I um, I know your mommy," I say, and his large blue eyes look up at me. He thinks I mean Kate, but in my head I see Claire, her blonde hair and blue eyes a solid match to her son.

The sun is starting to set and Sun picks him up. "We need to get going. Aaron, honey, we're going on a trip, but you can sleep in the backseat okay?"

Aaron nods his head and we strap him into the back, headed for the marina.

* * *

><p>"I'll get out here, I say, spotting Sayid's purple shirt at a distance. "You can pull off to the side. Keep Aaron in the car, wait for my signal."<p>

"There he is," Sun says, as Ben comes out of the shadows.

"Sun, pull the car into a space. Wait for my signal." She does this, trading places with me and I walk up to the scene, a gun in my hand.

"It's him. He's the one who's trying to take Aaron," Kate says, and I see Jack holding her back from Ben.

"No. No. You don't understand," Jack says to her.

"No, Jack," Ben says. "She's right. It was me. Sorry."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kate yells. "Why don't you just stay away? Why don't you leave me and my son alone?"

"Because he's not your son, Kate," Ben says.

I pull out my laser pen and flash the point on Sun's car. I hear the door open as I raise my gun, pointed at Jack. I promised Sun she could kill Ben.

After all, he didn't kill my guy. John Locke did.

Why don't you leave me and my son alone?!

I see Sun and the two of us advance forward. She cocks her gun and everyone's heads turn to our direction. "Move away, Kate," Sun tells her. Jack starts to protest. "I said, move away!" she yells again.

"Sun! What are you doing? Where's Aaron?" Kate asks, panic in her voice.

"Don't worry, Kate. He's in the car," I say, keeping my gun on Jack. She runs over to my car to get him.

"Sun, Tia, listen. I know you think you're helping—,"

Sun cuts him off, ignoring him. "If it wasn't for you, Jin would still be alive," she says to Ben.

"I didn't kill your husband, Sun," he says, his hands raised.

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. Neither did anyone else, because he's not dead."

"You're lying," Sun says slightly shocked.

"No, Sun," Ben assures her. "Jin's still alive, and I can prove it."

"Sun, don't listen to him," I say.

"She's right," Sun says, her gun still on Ben's head. "I've spent the last three years thinking... believing that he was dead. You say you have proof that he's not. I want to see it."

"Why don't you put down the gun? No one wants it to go off."

"I do," I say and Ben gives me the stink eye.

"How do you know he's alive?" Sun asks.

"There's someone. Someone here in Los Angeles. Let me take you to them, and I'll show you the proof."

"Yeah, right," I say. "Who?"

"The same person that's going to show us how to get back to the Island."

At this point I'm now convinced that Ben isn't here to harm anyone. Neither is Jack. It makes sense that Ben wants the same thing as Locke. Jack? Not so much. "Is that what this is about?" Kate asks, holding Aaron. "You knew about this?" she asks Jack. He tries to defend himself, but she cuts him off. "And that is why you're pretending to care about Aaron, to convince me to go back there?"

"I wasn't pretending anything."

"This is insane, you guys are crazy."

"Kate—,"

"Jack, don't!" she yells, going to her car.

Sayid starts to leave. "Sayid, where are you going?" Ben asks.

"I don't want any part of this. And if I see you, or him again," he says, gesturing to Jack. "It will be extremely unpleasant for all of us." He turns back around and leaves.

Sun still has her gun pointed at Ben's head. "Thirty minutes, Sun," he promises. "We can be there in thirty minutes. And you'll have proof. Proof that he's alive. Or you can shoot me and never know."

Sun lowers her gun. "Let's go."

"Whoa, Sun. I told you, you can't trust this guy. He'll twist and turn the truth into something he can manipulate you with. What's the one thing you want most in the world? For Jin to be alive. We saw the freighter blow up. How can he be alive after that?"

"If there's a chance that Jin is alive, I have to believe it. Otherwise, what else do I have?"

I take a breath. "Fine, but you're not going alone."

* * *

><p>I sit in the back of Ben's van with Jack and Sun sits in the passenger seat as Ben drives. "You said we'd be there in thirty minutes," Sun says.<p>

"I didn't account for traffic," Ben says, drily. I look at my watch. It's been thirty-two minutes.

"Sun, I'm sorry," Jack says.

"Sorry for what?"

"For leaving Jin behind. When we landed that chopper on the boat, everything was just happening so fast. I knew he was down below. I should've waited for him."

"Why are you telling me this now, Jack? Are you going to ask me not to kill Ben if he's lying about my husband?"

"After what just he did to Kate? If you don't do it, Sun, I will."

The van turns sharply into an ally, throwing me into Jack. Ben slams the breaks and I'm thrown forward.

"What are you doing?!" Jack yells, helping me steady myself.

Bun turns around, his face full of anger. "What I'm doing is helping you! And if you had any idea what I've had to do to keep you safe – to keep your friends safe – then you'd never stop thanking me! You wanna shoot me, then shoot me – but let's get on with it! What's it gonna be?"

I look at Ben with shock. Sun and I exchange a look. "Drive," she says to Ben, who composes himself and pulls the van out of the ally, continuing down the road for about a minute. Eventually he pulls into the empty parking lot of a large church downtown. "Here we are," Ben says, stepping out of the car. We follow him and he steps in front of Sun. "May I?" he asks, pointing to his pocket. Sun nods and he reaches inside producing a ring. "Take it," he says, holding it out to her.

Sun reads the inscription on the ring in Korean. It must be Jin's wedding ring. "How do you have this?" she asks, shocked.

"John gave it to me."

"You said John never came to see you," Jack says.

"That's true, Jack. I went to see him." He turns back to Sun. "Jin gave it to him before he left the Island."

"Why did he not tell me himself?" she asks, meaning Locke.

"I don't know. Maybe he never had a chance before he died. I'm sorry I had to bring you here before I gave it to you, Sun. But all those people back on the Island, Jin included, need our help. There is a woman in this church and she can tell us how to get back to your husband. But we're running out of time, Sun. So I need you to decide right now. Will you come with me?"

Sun looks down at the ring in her hand. "Yes."

"What are you doing here?" a Scottish voice asks from across the parking lot, walking towards us. Desmond's face becomes illuminated by the street lamp.

"I assume the same thing you are," Ben says as we all stare at Desmond in disbelief. I haven't seen him in three years. He looks exactly the same.

"You're looking for Faraday's mother too?" Des asks, confused.

Ben doesn't wait for us to answer. He just walks into the church and we follow him into the sanctuary, where a woman stands lighting candles at the altar.

"Hello, Eloise," Ben greets her.

The woman turns around. "Hello, Benjamin." We stare at her as she stares back, taking us in. She's older, enough to be my grandmother. She has a head of neatly groomed white hair and large green eyes that pierce through your skin. She doesn't look very trusting to me. "I thought I said _all_ of them," she emphasizes.

"This is all I could get on short notice," Ben says.

Eloise sighs. "Well, I suppose it will have to do for now. All right! Let's get started."


	5. Flashforward: Back

I wake up spitting out water. My throat is raw as the water comes up like acid. I cough it up as someone pats my back gently. "You're okay. Just breathe," Jack says to me. He, Hurley, and Kate are gathered around me, looking relieved. Hurley clutches a guitar case.

I check out my surroundings. Green trees, a blue sky peeking through their canopy. "Are we back?" I ask.

"Yeah, we're back," Jack says, smiling.

I look at him, confused. "How did that happen?"


	6. The Lamp Post

Eloise walks to a door at the front of the church and the five of us follow her down a set of stairs and to another door with a DHARMA logo on it. It's been three years since I've seen one, and I'm getting déjà vu.

Inside the door is a large pendulum swinging back and forth, a needle at the tip, making scratches on a large map. The walls are covered in computer equipment. A large panel on the wall makes a clicking noise, showing different numbers. "What is this place?" Jack asks.

"The DHARMA Initiative called it the Lamp Post," Eloise says. "This is how they found the Island."

"Did you know about this place?" Jack asks Ben.

"No. No, I didn't," he says, looking around the room with shock.

Jack turns back to Eloise. "Is he telling the truth?"

She chuckles. "Probably not."

Eloise opens a drawer and pulls out a binder. "Aha. Here we go. All right. I apologize if this is confusing, but let's pay attention, yes? The room we're standing in was constructed years ago over a unique pocket of electromagnetic energy. That energy connects to similar pockets all over the world. The people who built this room, however, were only interested in one."

"The Island," Sun says.

"Yes. The Island. They'd gathered proof that it existed. They knew it was out there somewhere, but they just couldn't find it. Then a very clever fellow built this pendulum on the theoretical notion that they should stop looking for where the Island was supposed to be and start looking for where it was going to be."

"What do you mean, 'Where it was going to be'?" I ask.

"Well, this fellow presumed, and correctly, as it turned out, that the Island was always moving. Why do you think you were never rescued? Now while the movements of the Island seem random, this man and his team created a series of equations which tell us, with a high degree of probability, where it is going to be at a certain point... in time. Windows, as it were, that while open, provide a route back. Unfortunately, these windows don't stay open for very long. Yours closes... in thirty-six hours." She hands her binder to Jack.

"Um, I'm sorry. Excuse me," Desmond says, chuckling. "Am I really hearing this? That's what this is about? You're all going back to the Island? Willingly?"

"Yes," Sun answers.

"Not me," I cut in. "I'm just here to figure out what the hell is going on."

Sun ignores me. "Why are you here, Desmond?" she asks.

"I came here to deliver a message." He turns to Eloise. "Daniel Faraday, your son, sent me here. He wanted me to tell you that he and all the people on the Island need your help. He said that only you could help them. He didn't say Jack. He didn't say Sun. He didn't say Tia. He didn't say Ben. He said you."

"But I am helping, dear."

Desmond scoffs. "Consider the message delivered." He turns around and starts to leave.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Desmond, but the Island isn't done with you yet," she calls to him.

Des stops and turns back to us. "This woman cost me four years of my life. Four years that I'll never get back because you told me that I was supposed to go to the Island! That it was my bloody purpose!" He turns to Jack. "You listen to me, brother, and you listen carefully. These people, they're just using us. They're playing some kind of game, and we are just the pieces. Whatever she tells you to do, ignore it." He turns back to Eloise. "You say the Island's not done with me? Well, I'm done with the Island." Desmond storms off, slamming the door behind him.

"Jack," Eloise says, ignoring Desmond's outburst. "The binder in your hands shows all the air routes that fly over the coordinates where I believe the Island will be in little more than a day from now. There's a commercial airliner flying from L.A. to Guam. It's going to go right through our window. Ajira Airways, Flight 316. If you have any hope of the Island bringing you back, it must be that plane. You all need to be on it. It must be that flight. If you want to return, you need to recreate as best you can the circumstances that brought you there in the first place. That means as many of the same people as you are able to bring with you."

"And what if we can't get anyone else to come with us? What if we're it?" Jack asks.

"All I can tell you is the result would be...unpredictable."

"So that's it? We just get on that flight, and we just hope that it works? That's all?"

"No, that's not all, Jack. At least, not for you." She waves him into another room and Sun, Ben, and I follow Desmond's footsteps back up the stairs and into the church.

Back up here, surrounded by candles, I look at Ben. I've lived an unhealthy and recluse lifestyle for two and a half years, working to track him down and end his life. And now I'm just going to let him go. What is wrong with me?

"It sounds like we're done," Sun says, exiting the church. I follow her.

"You're not really going to do this," I say to her in the parking lot. She's pulled out her phone to call for a taxi.

"Yes I am. And I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd like for you to come with me."

"Sun," I say, a little confused by her request. "I—,"

"I know it is a lot to ask, but if Jin is still alive, then I have to do everything I can to get back to him. And I want my friend there when I do. And according to that woman, we can't get back if all of us aren't on that plane in two days."

"Sun, I gave up my life for you. So that you could track down Ben and kill him because he killed your husband. And I did it because I wanted Ben dead too. But if we do this, then the last three years I gave up for you are for nothing. I don't understand how you can call yourself my friend when you're asking me to do this. I can't go back there!"

"Yes you can. You have to. Please!"

"No, Sun. I can't." I walk away from my friend, pulling out my phone and calling for my own separate taxi that takes me back to my apartment. On the ride back, I make a decision. Tomorrow, Samuels Investments International will be terminated. I'll divide the company's assets in three, but I'll put my third into a trust fund for Eliza. I'll go back to school. I'll get my medical degree. I'll start over. It's not too late.

I unlock my apartment door as the sun starts to rise, but a surprise is waiting on my couch.

"Hey, Tia." Gil says as I jump back, startled.

"Gil? What are you doing here? Where's Sonja and Eliza? Where's Donny?"

"Sonja's with Eliza back home. Donny had a restaurant review today and I didn't want to worry him."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I got a phone call from your crash buddy, Hurley," he says.

"Hurley? Why didn't he just call my phone?"

"He said you weren't picking up your phone. He also said to tell you that he has a hearing in the morning and he's getting out of jail."

"Oh, that's great. But I don't understand why you drove all night from Sacramento to tell me this."

"'Cause that's not all Hurley said. He said to tell you that it's okay to tell your family the truth. That it'll make you feel free." Gil pauses as I stare him down with my best poker face. "When I asked him what the truth was, he said to ask you. So here I am. What's the truth, Tia?"


	7. My Hero

"Gil, Hurley is crazy," I say, heading into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water. "You want one?"

He ignores my offer. "Why? Because they put him in that institution? Donny was in there for over a year. I he crazy?"

"This is different. Donny had a drug problem. Hurley? Hurley sees things. Things that aren't there. That can't be there. I'm telling you, he's crazy."

"Tia, you lied to me for most of my teenage years. About the crimes connected with Dad's company. I know when you're lying and when you tell the truth. You're my sister. I know something's wrong and I want to help. Just tell me the truth."

After the events tonight, I can't take it anymore. My stress level peaks and I fall into the sofa. "We lied, Gil."

"Who?"

"Us. The Oceanic Seven. All of us."

Gil sits in the chair across from me. "What do you mean you lied?"

"We weren't on an Island called Membata."

He looks so confused. "Then where were you?"

"'Where' is kind of a relative term." And then I tell him everything. The Island, the Others, the smoke monster, Charles Widmore's freighter, and the DHARMA Initiative. Even Boone. I lay it all out on the table like I've wanted to for three years.

Gil rarely speaks, only to ask for clarification on a few points of the story. And now he knows everything about my one hundred days on the Island. When I finish, telling the story all the way up to last night and Sun asking me to go back with her, he doesn't speak. He just sits there, looking at the floor, taking it all in. I look outside and the sun hangs high over the Los Angles sky line. I look at the clock on my microwave. I got home at about six in the morning. It's 8:15 now.

"Gil, please say something?"

"What do you want me to say, Tia?"

"How about that you believe me?"

"I mean, you're not lying. And it's too much. Too many details. Those were real memories."

"So you do believe me?"

"That this mysterious Island, home to a giant pillar of black smoke that kills people, the Others that kidnapped your people for three months, and the freighter full of mercenaries that were hired by Dad's business partner who also set up a fake crash under the ocean? Yeah, I guess I do."

I let out a big exhale. "You don't know how long I've wanted to tell you that."

"Why didn't you?"

"I told you, we had to protect the people we left behind."

"Right, but did you really think I'd let your secret slip? That you couldn't trust me?"

"I wanted to protect you too. And now that you know this, people, namely Widmore can use this against you."

"I understand," he says. "So…are you gonna do it?"

"Do what?"

"Go back like Sun asked you too."

"No. I mean, I don't know. I don't want to. I can't go back there. But I feel like if I don't do this, if I don't help Sun get back to Jin, then just letting Ben go will be for nothing. What should I do, Gil?"

"What would Mom do?"

"Huh?"

"For your college admissions essay to get into UCLA, you had to write a paper on your hero. You wrote about Mom. So now, you should think about what Mom would do. Would she stay home, try to rebuild a life after three years of mistakes? Or would she help her friend in need, who can't accomplish anything without her help?"

I roll my eyes. "You did that on purpose."

"Hey, it's what I think Mom would tell you."

"But Sayid and Kate. They won't come. And Hurley won't go anywhere near Ben. So it'll just be myself, Jack, and Sun. Eloise said that if all of us aren't on that plane tomorrow, that the events could be unpredictable."

"Tia, you've been through so much. And I wish I had your strength. 'Cause, let me tell you, the minute Sonja and I got back from Ghana and we figured out she was pregnant, I was scared for my life. But I took a deep breath and thought about my hero. What would Tia do?"

Tears start to well up in my eyes. "So, you'd go back?"

"If I was as strong as you? Hell yes."

I walk over to the chair and side hug him, the way I did when we were kids. "Then I'm gonna listen to my real hero. Thanks Gil."

* * *

><p>I said goodbye to my brother for the last time as he left for Sacramento after our long conversation. I didn't know if I'd ever come back home. And Hurley was right. I did feel free. I drove to Hunter's office and typed up a transfer of company to Donny, who I know would make the right decision and disband the company for good.<p>

On the car ride back to my apartment I stopped at McDonald's and ordered the greasiest food on the menu. Who knows if I'll ever eat it again?

Back at my apartment, I start packing a bag. Jeans, socks, an extra pair of sneakers, even a blanket and two pillows. Everything I may need to start over back at the beach camp. I scratch my neck, thinking of anything else I may need. But there's something missing.

I walk over to my dresser and pull out my travel jewelry box. I pull out the white talisman, strung onto its adjustable cord and I put it back around my neck. By now it's almost midnight. I crawl into my bed for the last time, the soft blankets covering me in their warmth. Bye-bye beds. I drift off to sleep.


	8. Ajira Airways Flight 316

I've spent more time in airports then I've cared to these past three years. And now, knowing entering another where I actually intend to crash the plane…I can't bring myself to look anyone in the eye. Who know who will make it out alive at this flight?

I walk up to the ticket agent, who doesn't recognize me. I thank my lucky stars that the Island is summoning a flight from Ajira and not Oceanic. They process my passport as I order a ticket to Guam. I've never been to Guam. I wonder what it's like.

Across the room, I see Jack at the check desk. Looks like I'm at the right flight. I see a woman even further away, with dark, wavy hair and sunglasses. It's Kate. I guess Jack convinced her to come along.

I walk through the terminal, looking for Sun. But instead I spot Hurley at a different check-in desk. What the hell? How did he get here? And over at airport security, there's Sayid, handcuffed in the clothes he was wearing at the pier being escorted through security by a woman I've never seen before.

"Tia?" I turn around and Sun is there, a big smile on her face. "You came!"

I walk over and hug her. "Of course I did. I can't turn my back on my friend, Sun. Let's get you back to Jin."

We board the plane together and I'm escorted by a flight attendant to my seat at the opposite end of the class section from Sun. I look back into coach and see about twenty people sitting there now. The guilt starts to set in. I don't know how it happened, but all of the Oceanic Seven are here, by either choice or force. And since I'm in the front, I see all of them board the plane separately, all of us sitting at different points of the first-class section. Luckily, there aren't many people other than us. The woman escorting Sayid, and a man with dark skin and a goatee.

"That should be everybody," a blonde flight attendant says.

"Hold up! Wait, please!" a man's voice shouts. And Ben Linus comes onto the plane. "Thank you for not closing it," he says. He looks awful. His arm is in a sling and his face is beaten and swollen, just like after Sayid beat him up for not being Henry Gale. Or when Jack beat him up for just being himself.

The flight attendant starts to show him to his seat, but Hurley stands up. "Wait! What's he doing here?"

"Hurley, hey—," Jack says, standing too.

"No, no! He can't come!"

"If you want to get back, this is how it's gonna have to be."

"No one told me he was gonna be here."

"Who told you to be here, Hugo?" Ben says.

"Actually, Hurley's right," I say, standing with them. "No one said he was coming. That wasn't part of the deal. Part of the reason I agreed to this was to get far away from him."

"Is everything okay?" the flight attendant asks, confused.

"Yes. Yes, everything's fine," Jack says, looking between Hurley and I. "Right?" he asks us.

"Yes, Jack. I'll be fine," Hurley says, curtly, sitting back down. Jack turns to me and I nod my head, sinking back into my seat.

"Are you Jack Shephard, seat 8C?" the attendant asks.

"Yes."

"Security found this while screening your cargo," she says, handing him an envelope. "Now if you two don't mind taking your seats, we are gonna be pushing back for takeoff."

The plane takes off and my hands grip the sides of my seat nervously. I really hate flying. But once we're softly in the air, and the _Fasten Seat Belts_ sign goes dark, I'm a little better. The intercom goes off with a message from the pilot.

_"__Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Ajira Air. This is your captain, Frank J. Lapidus, and on behalf of the entire flight crew, welcome aboard. Currently we're right on schedule, flying at a very comfortable 30,000 feet. So sit back, relax and enjoy the in-flight movie."_

Frank J. Lapidus? Well, isn't that the most ironic thing you've ever heard. Jack approaches the flight attendant in front of me. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Mr. Shephard, can I help you?"

"Um, I need to talk to the pilot. Frank Lapidus and I are old friends, and if you could just tell him I'm onboard, I'd really appreciate it."

"Alright, but you just have to go sit down because you can't be near the cockpit door when it's open."

"Sure. I understand."

Jack goes back to his seat and the attendant calls the cockpit on a telephone. "Captain, I have a passenger named Jack Shephard. He says he knows you… Okay, sir."

She hangs up and almost instantly, Frank Lapidus comes through the door, dressed in a pilot's uniform, clean shaven and all smiles. He walks over to Jack's seat and I can't hear their conversation, but I'm certain that, in a minute, Frank will know we're not going to Guam.

* * *

><p>Night falls in about an hour. I sit in my seat, trying to watch the movie that's playing on the screen in front of me, but I can't pay attention. When will it happen?<p>

Then, turbulence starts to hit. The Fasten Seatbelts sign lights up. I wrap it around myself, gripping the armrests of my seat tightly. The flight attendant comes through, telling everyone to buckle their seat belts. The turbulence picks up. My head jerks back and forth. There's a giant flash of white light and…


	9. Where's the Plane?

I wake up spitting out water. My throat is raw as the water comes up like acid. I cough it up as someone pats my back gently. "You're okay. Just breathe," Jack says to me. He, Hurley, and Kate are gathered around me, looking relieved. Hurley clutches a guitar case.

I check out my surroundings. Green trees, a blue sky peeking through their canopy. "Are we back?" I ask.

"Yeah, we're back," Jack says, smiling.

I look at him, confused. "How did that happen?"

Jack shakes his head. They let me cough out the last of the water. "Can you get up?"

"Yeah," I say, gingerly getting to my feet. "Where's the plane?"

"I don't know. After that light, I... I woke up in the jungle."

"So this is it?" Kate asks. "It's just us?"

"I'm not sure," Jack says. "Do either of you remember crashing?"

"Crashing?" Hurley asks. "No. One second, I'm being tossed around. The next thing I know, I'm in the lagoon."

"Where's Sun and Sayid?" Kate asks. "Where's Ben?"

"All right. Let's spread out, search the jungle," Jack says. "We come across anybody from the plane, we'll—,"

Through the trees a song starts to play and I hear the loud roar of a car engine. A blue DHARMA van like the one Hurley repaired back in the day comes out and parks. "Dude," Hurley exclaims.

The driver opens the door and points a rifle at our heads. He's wearing a tan DHARMA jumpsuit, sideburns running down his face. A face I thought was dead for three years. "Jin?" Hurley asks, surprised. Jin lowers his gun, a look of shock on his face.


	10. Becoming DHARMA

"I can't believe it! You're alive!" I say. Jin puts his finger up to his lips and gestures to the van. The four of us crawl into the back and Jin takes off to a giant field.

"Why can't we talk?" Jack asks.

"Please," is all Jin says.

We get out of the car and Jin rolls up the window, muffling his voice as he speaks into a walkie talkie. We stand around and a blue jeep comes over the hill. Another man in a DHARMA suits jumps out and walks over to us.

He's clean shaven and wearing a pair of wired glasses, sideburns growing out just like Jin. He takes off his glasses to get a better look at us. Sawyer's face holds a look of pure shock.

"I can't believe it!" I yell, running into Sawyer's arms, just like I used to, squeezing him around the middle.

"Easy on the ribs there, Brown Eyes," he says, laughing.

"'Brown Eyes.' I can't believe I actually missed that."

"Missed you, too, Tia."

Hurley and Sawyer share a big hug, Hurley lifting him off the ground. He and Jack shake hands. He and Kate hug tightly.

"You're really here," Sawyer says. "Son of a bitch actually did it! Locke said he was gonna bring you back, but where is he?"

Kate looks down at the ground. Jack looks up at Sawyer. "John's dead."

"Dead? How?"

"Doesn't matter. He's gone."

"So what's up with you guys and the old DHARMA jumpsuits?" Hurley asks.

"You didn't tell 'em?" Sawyer asks, turning to Jin.

"No. I was waiting for you," Jin says.

"Tell us what?" I ask.

"We're in the DHARMA Initiative," Sawyer says.

"They came back to the Island?" Jack asks, confused.

"No. We came back. And so did you. It's 1977."

We all look around at each other. Hurley turns back to Sawyer. "Uh... what?"

Sawyer takes a deep breath. "After ya'll left and Locke moved the Island, we moved too. He…well Faraday says it's like a record spinning off course. We started jumping through time. In the future and in the past. Charlotte died from it. And then, Locke moved it again to get back to all of you, but when he did, we stopped moving. And now we've been stuck in the 70s for three years."

"So you're telling me that you've been here, living with the DHARMA Initiative for the past three years?" Jack asks.

"That's right. How long's it been for you since the chopper?"

"Three years."

Jin's walkie goes off, Miles's voice coming through. "Hey, Jin, this is Miles. Where are you? Over."

"If I don't report in soon, they'll send out a patrol," Jin says. "What should we do with them?"

"Dude, your English is awesome," Hurley complements him.

"What we do is we bring 'em in," Sawyer says, answering Jin.

"Bring us in where?" Jack asks.

"Back to the Barracks at DHARMA-ville. You can't be wandering around in the jungle with the Hostiles."

"'The Hostiles'?" Kate asks.

"The Others," Sawyer clarifies.

"What about everyone else from the plane?" Hurley asks. "They could still be out there."

"What do you mean, everyone else?"

"We didn't come back alone," I tell Sawyer. "Sayid was on the plane, too. Lapidus." I turn over to Jin. "And Sun."

Immediately, Jin runs to Sawyer's jeep, starting it up. Sawyer tried to stop him. "Jin! Hold up! Where you going?"

"The Flame. If a plane landed on the Island, Radzinsky will know."

"Hold on! We gotta think about this!" But Jin ignores him and drives away. "All right. That's it. Listen, you guys gotta stay put. Don't go nowhere, don't do nothing till I can figure out how the hell to explain where you came from."

"Sawyer, wait," Kate calls. "Other than you and Jin, who else is still here?"

"You heard Miles on the radio. Juliet's back at the Barracks and Faraday's in Ann Arbor." Before we can ask anything else, he hops into the van and drives away.

* * *

><p>We don't talk much. About an hour of waiting, Kate speaks up. "So the woman who told you how to come back. Did she mention that it would be thirty years ago?"<p>

"No," Jack says, irritated. "No, she left that part out."

"So what are we supposed to do now?"

"I'm not sure yet."

I hear the engine of the van and Hurley yells "Sawyer's back!"

Sawyer turns off the engine and gets out, holding a shoulder bag and starts tossing Kate and I clothes. "All right, listen. Y'all are gonna be the second batch of recruits coming in off the sub pulling into port right about now, so we ain't got much time. Nice suit, doc. Not exactly Island wear. Try this."

I look at the clothes he gave me. It's a blue shirt with flower embroidery around the edges of the neck and wrists. The pants are dark bell bottom jeans.

Jack looks at his shirt. "You want us to say we came in on the sub. How's that gonna work?"

"Everyone gets knocked out before the trip, so no one meets each other until we process 'em."

"Look, we need to find the rest of the people from the plane," Jack says.

"If there was a plane, Jin will find it," Sawyer says, frantically. "So we got about ten minutes to make intake, or y'all are gonna be camping in the jungle for a long time. There ain't another batch of recruits due in for six months."

"What do you think?" Jack asks Kate.

"I think we should listen to Sawyer."

"I vote for not camping," Hurley says, pulling a sweatshirt with a bull dog on it over his head.

"Trust me. Do what I say. Everything will be fine," Sawyer says and Jack nods, agreeing to the plan. "Let's move."

We pile into the car and Hurley is asking questions immediately. "Okay, so it's 1977."

"Yep," Sawyer says.

"And you guys are all members of the DHARMA Initiative."

"Yep."

"Well, you do realize those dudes get wiped out, right? I saw where all the bodies got dumped."

"What about it?"

"Well, aren't you gonna warn 'em? Aren't you gonna stop it from happening?"

"I ain't here to play Nostradamus to these people. Besides, Faraday's got some interesting theories on what we can and can't do here."

"Did you say Faraday?" Jack says, leaning forward from the backseat. "I thought you said he was off the Island."

"He is. Haven't seen him in months." Sawyer pulls the van into the Barracks. A large sign spells out Welcome New Recruits and smells of charcoal grills wafts through the air. Music plays loudly from speakers. "Put these on and listen up," Sawyer says, handing us all necklace leis. "Juliet's got it worked out so your name's gonna be on the list, all right? So when you get in there, just watch the little meet and greet video, wait for 'em to call your name. When they do, just smile, step up, take your jumpsuits and work assignments."

"Work assignments?" Jack asks, outing on his lei.

"Yeah, don't worry. I got it covered. Just remember to act a little doped up, 'cause you just woke up from the sub."

Hurley starts to look nervous. "What if they start asking us questions we can't answer, like, uh, who's president in 1977?"

"It's not a damn game show, Hugo. Besides, I'm gonna be in there to get your backs, all right? Let's move."

"LaFleur!" a voice calls toward our group and Sawyer turns around reflexively. That's the name printed on his DHARMA jumpsuit. It must be his alias here. "Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you on the walkie." The voice belongs to Miles, who notices us standing in front of him. "What-what the hell are they doing here?"

"They're our new inductees," Sawyer says, putting his arm around Miles's shoulder and leading him away.

Jack points to the recruitment center building and we all walk inside. People are everywhere. There's my old friend Marvin Candle/Mark Whitman talking on the screens, welcoming his recruits to the Island.

"Tia Samuels," a male voice calls me and when I see it, I'm a little taken aback. Candle/Whitman is standing in front of me, holding a clipboard.

I walk up to him. "I'm Tia Samuels," I say.

He waves me over to a sort of cubical and motions for me to sit. "Of course it isn't here," he says, shuffling through a stack of papers.

"Where's what?"

"Your file. Could they be any more disorganized on the other side? Sorry," he says, standing up straight and composing himself, offering his hand, which I shake. "Namaste. I'm Pierre Chang. Welcome to the DHARMA Initiative. How was your ride in?"

"Um, it was fine"

"Good. Who was your shuttle driver?"

"Pardon?"

"The shuttle from the sub. Who was your driver?"

"Oh, that was, um... Mr. LaFleur."

"Ah, yes. Good man, LaFleur. Runs a very tight operation," Chang sets down his clipboard. I'm sorry for the disorganization. The woman who was supposed to be processing you in had a baby last night. I got pulled out of my lab. I... ah, here it is... your job assignment." He opens the folder then reaches behind himself, pulling out a tan jumpsuit." You've been assigned to security detail."

"Security? What does that mean?"

"Based on your aptitude test, you'll be working with our security staff, headed by Jim LaFleur. You'll probably handle the station, mostly. Monitor cameras, that sort of thing."

"Okay, sounds great."

"If you'll grab your papers and your uniform, your vaccination will take place over there with Lisa.

I follow Chang's finger to a woman whose hair is all Farrah Fawcett and she pinches me with an injector.

"So, you're the new security camera monitor?" a tall man with large eyes asks me as I put my jumpsuit on over my bell bottoms.

"Yeah, I'm—,"

"Tia. I read your nametag," he says, pointing to the breast of my jumpsuit. "I'm Phil. Let's get you outside for the new recruitments picture, then I'm afraid you'll have to skip the party. We've got a lot to teach you in a short amount of time. Along with the new recruits, we've had a bit of a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"We'll explain after the picture. Just grab yourself some lunch and mingle. We'll grab you when we need you."

He leaves me in the courtyard of the Barracks. Hurley is fixing a hamburger, Kate stands to the side awkwardly, her jumpsuit a deep blue. I walk over to her. "Hey."

"Hi.'

"So where're you working?"

"The Motor Pool."

"With the cars? Do you know a lot about cars?"

She look at my jumpsuit my name _Tia_, freshly embroidered over the old _Security_ tag, the DHARMA logo over it with a star in the middle. "Security?"

"Yeah, guess whoever set up our files was trying to be funny. Know who did it?"

"It was Juliet. Ran into her inside."

"Oh, how'd that go?"

"Fine."

The only time she's looked at me was to check my jumpsuit. Then she went right back to staring ahead. "Kate, I want things to be okay between us—,"

She turns to me, finally. "I want that too. But you hurt me Tia. Going behind my back with the whole Widmore thing. You know before I found Ben, I thought it was him trying to take Aaron away from me. It was awful, and I thought you were the one to blame, because you were making millions of dollars by this man's side."

"Kate, I'm sorry. I would never want Aaron to leave you and the hardest part about this is that I will never get the chance to be a part of his life. I drove him and Sun to the pier that night, and he didn't even recognize me. Not that I expected him too, but it still hurt. A lot."

"Come on over everyone! Let's get the picture taken!" One of the DHARMA women shouts, gathering us in the middle. She puts Kate in the middle and me off to the side with Hurley.

A man stands in front of us with a camera. "Okay, ready? Everybody say, 'Namaste!'"

"Namaste," I say with the group, trying to smile, but it probably looks like a grimace.

"Nama-what?" Hurley mutters, right before the camera snaps

The security guy, Phil calls out to the group. "Okay. Right on. So you guys have the rest of the day to get acquainted with your security protocol handbooks waiting in your new digs. Now some of it may seem a little scary, but I promise you all, we are perfectly safe here, okay? So make yourselves at home. Come on. We got hamburgers. We got punch.

Phil's walkie goes off, Sawyer's voice coming out of it. "You there, Phil? We're coming in with a 14-J."

"Roger that, Mr. LaFleur," he says into the walkie and pointing to me, motioning me over.

I walk up beside him and a DHARMA van pulls up, Sawyer at the wheel Phil turns back to the crowd. "Okay, if I could get everyone to hold back, please, we have a minor security situation."

Jin and Sawyer jump out of the van accompanied by a balding man with glasses. Lastly Sayid comes out of the van his hands cuffed together. The balding man prods him in the back. "Move." And they march him into a house labled _Security_.

Everyone goes back to their food and party. I turn to Phil. "What the hell was that?" I ask.

"That was a hostile. Welcome to your new job."


	11. Nama-what?

Phil leads me into the security building. Inside there are TV monitors everywhere and I'm reminded of the Pearl station. I see the behind of Jin headed through a doorway and Phil motions for me to follow down the stairs. When I get there, Sayid is still handcuffed. He notices me and shock pours over his face. Sawyer notices and turns around to me. "Dammit, Phil, what the hell is she doing here?"

"She's the new surveillance monitor. Thought she could get a look at what she's surveilling."

"Oh you did, did you?" Sawyer turns to the balding man. "Radzinsky, you get a hold of Horace yet?"

"No, Jim, I haven't. I've been too concerned about this handcuffed hostile showing up at the Flame, maybe getting himself a peek at the Swan."

"Alright, can it Stuart."

"So what are we gonna do with him?" Phil asks.

Sawyer looks at Sayid, then takes a deep breath. "Bring him some food. We're not savages." He starts to walk up the stairs, but turns to me. "New girl. You best come over to my place so I can explain to you the situation."

"That's not how we do things!" Radzinsky yells.

"Yeah, well we don't normally start pulling inductees into the inner circle, but looks like Phil here pushed her into it." He makes a noticeable glance at the name on my jumpsuit. "Come on, Tia."

Sawyer leads me out of the security building and around the back, away from the party. When we're far enough away I start to ask questions. "Sawyer—,"

He puts his finger up to his mouth. "Not yet."

He leads me into a house at the far end of the west neighborhood. "Juliet?" he calls and he enters the threshold. There's no response. "She must still be at the party," he says, shutting and locking the door. He waves me into the living room.

"Sawyer, what the hell is going on?"

"Okay, maybe I should start from the beginning. After ya'll left and we got stuck in 1974, we started to build a life. And eventually I became head of security. Jin and Miles are my seconds. That guy you met, Phil? He's a dimwit. If we had a protocol for firing someone, I'd be the first one to sign the paperwork, but we're stuck with him. That other guy, Radzinsky, he's a piece of work. Very into his secrets, very cut throat, and a total dickhead. Can't stand him. But the real guy in charge? That's Horace, and you haven't met him yet. Not a bad guy, kind of a drunk, but he gets stuff done."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to have a little bit of backstory on your new coworkers. When I sent Juliet to fix your papers, I had her make sure you got that security spot we were trying to fill."

"Why?"

"Why?" Sawyer says, a little confused. "Shoo, Brown Eyes, 'cause you're about the only one I trust out of your little group. Well, except Hugo, but what good would he be as security."

"You trust me?"

"Sure do. Plus you know how to play this game."

"What game?"

"Huh, maybe you aren't so good at this game."

"No, no. I think I get it. You want me to be your little Brown Eyed GI Jane, and go along with whatever you need. I'm your extra leverage."

"No, you're a link. Between the things I can't tell you and the things you and Kate, Hugo, and the doc need to know."

"Alright then," I say, sitting down and crossing my legs. "Fill me in on your protocol."

"Well, basically we have a truce with the hostiles. It's a long list of things no one expects you to be familiar with yet. The biggest thing that you need to know is that Richard, who I think is their leader at this point, knows about me. That I'm not really from DHARMA. But he doesn't know about Juliet or Miles or Jin."

"And what about Sayid?"

"Jin caught him running through the jungle but Radzinsky was there so he had to play dumb. Sayid didn't say anything until I showed up. I forced him to identify as hostile, otherwise Radzinsky was gonna shoot him."

"So what now?"

"I don't know yet, I need to think."

"And my job is to?"

"Watch the security cameras, see if anymore of the people on your plane show up. If they do, you'll ned to erase the tape. Then I'll have to work to keep 'em hidden from the DHARMA folk."

"What about the rest of your people? Rose, Bernard, Claire, Frogurt, Scott—,"

"I think you mean Steve."

"Whatever. Like you could remember. What happened to them?"

"Most of them died during the time shift from an attack by the Others in the 50s"

"You were here in the 50s?"

"Yup. The US Army was here, testing nuclear bombs. Faraday had to disable a giant one and the Others buried it in the ground."

I try to wrap my head around this, but the twinges of a headache start. "Okay, so I monitor the cameras. Look for people, if I find them, erase the tapes. That's it, right?"

"Keep your head down, don't draw any attention to yourself. Now that Phil's dragged you into this whole mess with Sayid, I expect Horace might pull you in to deal with this stuff."

"Who do they think I am, James? What did you put in my file?"

"Basically the truth. You were in the army and you left it after getting shot."

I nod my head. "Alright. Don't worry about me. I got this."

I walk out the front door as evening starts to fall. I see Juliet walking over to Sawyer's house. "Hey, Tia," she greets me.

"We're not supposed to know each other," I say. Despite our past, I'm kind of happy to see Juliet. I look back sat Sawyer's house and I remember that when we first got there, he called out Juliet's name. I look back at her. "So are you two…?"

She smiles sheepishly. "I haven't told Kate yet."

"I understand."

"Oh!" she exclaims, pulling a folder from her bag. "I almost forgot. You missed housing assignments. You and Kate are together in that house over there," she says, pointing.

"What about Jack and Hurley?"

"They're in the house across from you. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Night, Juliet."

Inside the folder she handed me is a safety protocol manual and a set of house keys. I pull out the keys and open my new front door. Kate is inside, sitting on the couch, sipping tea. Patsy Cline plays from the record player on the book self.

"Hey," I say, dropping my manual and sitting in the chair across from her.

"Hey, yourself."

We sit in silence for a moment before I open my big mouth again. "Kate, I—,"

"You can stop apologizing. I forgive you."

"Thank you," I say. "But that's not what I was going to say."

She raises her eyebrows and I ask my question. "Why'd you come back, Kate? Why'd you leave Aaron?"

Tears start to well up in her eyes. "Before I found Ben on the pier, Jack and I followed his lawyer to a hotel to another one of his clients. It was Claire's mother. So for a few hours, I thought she knew. That she was trying to take him away. But she was just in LA, collecting her settlements after suing Oceanic. But it got me thinking. I wanted Aaron back with Claire. So I left him with his grandmother and I came to find her and bring her home."

"That's good. It's brave of you."

"What about you? Why'd you come back?"

"I always felt so guilty about Jin and thinking he was dead. When Sun figured out he was alive, she asked me to come back and I wasn't going to. But then my brother told me it was the right thing to do. And if I can't trust my brother's advice, then I can't trust anyone's."

"So he knows the truth?"

"Yeah, but that's mostly Hurley's fault."

She chuckles. "Yeah, he was never good at keeping secrets."

"Yeah. Unfortunately I've got a few more for you." And I fill her in on everything that happened with Sayid and everything Sawyer told me last night.


	12. Protocol

The next morning I take over for Phil, who's been on camera monitoring all night. "So LaFleur filled you in on protocol last night?"

"Mostly. He said it was a lot of touch-and-go, learn on the job stuff."

"Yeah, well, while we've got this guy down here," Phil says, motioning to Sayid's cell. "Your protocol is a little. Different. One of the kids is bringing him food, but other than that, don't let anyone but security or Horace inside."

"I still haven't met Horace."

"Yeah, well, you'll know him when you see him." Phil stands and stretches. "Ugh, I'm starving. Have fun doing nothing." He leaves the room.

I sit in the chair and look at the monitors, trying to figure out how this whole thing works. It looks like a series of cameras set up all over the Island sectioned into grids. I find a binder full of camera operating how-too's and spot how to view different grids of jungle, different stations. I notice that there's no Swan Station on the list. The Incident must not have happened yet. But I think every other station I know about is listed. "Hydra Station". That must be the one on the smaller Island where the Others kept Jack, Kate, and Sawyer. "Arrow Station". That's the one the tallies found and lived at for a while during our first forty-eight days on the Island. The Tempest, The Pearl, The Flame, The Looking Glass, The Staff. There's no Orchid Station, where we found Ben and Locke right before we left the Island. Where they moved the Island.

"Jail Cell-Security Station" one reads. I look up at its respective screen, but it's already turned to the station, showing Sayid sitting on the floor of a cell, his handcuffs replaced by plastic ties. I look at the door. Sayid is right through there. The keys are handing on that wall over there. What if I let him out? We could run back to our old beach camp. There's no camera for that location listed in this binder. They wouldn't be able to find us. I'll use some knowledge on Richard and then the Others might leave us alone.

Before I can get any further on this plan, the door behind me opens. A small boy, maybe twelve years old enters the room. He's scrawny, with round horned-rimmed glasses that are taped together at the bridge. He's carrying a tray of food with a book. There's something familiar about him that I can't place.

He jumps back when he sees me sitting there. "Oh. I thought you'd be Phil."

"Phil took a break. I'm one of the new recruits."

"I brought another sandwich for him," the kid says, motioning to Sayid on the screen. "I don't think he liked the egg salad. So I brought chicken salad this time."

I smile at the kid, knowing full well it's not the menu. "That's nice of you."

He shrugs. "Horace told me to."

"A lot of trouble to go for, considering he's a hostile."

"That doesn't mean he's not hungry," the kid says.

I smile again and nod my head. "You're right, kid. Absolutely right. I'm Tia, by the way. Got here yesterday."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ben," the kid says and walks through the door to Sayid's cell.

Ben. Benjamin Linus. As a twelve year old. What the hell? Okay, meeting Marvin Candle/Mark Whitman/Pierre Chang; I can handle that. Being inducted into the DHARMA Initiative; I can do that. Getting transported through time and into 1977; I can even handle that. But a twelve year old version of my arch enemy? That's the line. That's the point of crazy.

I start hyperventilating with the pressure. Then I calm myself down. No, there's Sayid in the cell, talking to him. If Sayid can do this, and imprisoned, then I can do this out in the freedom of DHARMAville.

* * *

><p>Ben left soon after and I did my best to put on a friendly face. I go back to studying the notebook when Radzinsky enters, followed by a man with glasses and long, bushy hair. Very retro. Or in this case, present? Ugh, time travel.<p>

"You're the new recruit?" The man with the hair asks me. I notice his jumpsuit label. _Horace, Mathematician. _

"Yeah. Tia," I say, standing and holding out my hand, which he shakes. "You must be Horace."

"What gave it away?" he jokes, tugging at his nametag. "LaFleur said he filled you in on basic protocol."

"Um, yeah. The basics. He wasn't sure whether or not to explain this present situation to me, but he did anyway. Hope that's okay."

Behind Horace, Radzinsky huffs. Horace sighs. "Don't mind Stuart. He really doesn't like Hostiles. Have you talked to him?" he asks, meaning Sayid.

"No. That kid, Ben came in with a sandwich. Phil said it was okay to let him in. I think they spoke, but I think he was just saying thanks."

Horace nods. "Wanna meet your first hostile?"

Radzinsky gasps. "You can't let her in there! It's not protocol. She doesn't know the first thing about these people!"

"Stuart, calm down. I just want the guy to talk." Horace turns back to me. "LaFleur said you look harmless, but you can carry a gun. And you have experiance with the military?"

"Yes sir."

Horace nods. "Try to look harmless. We want to seem unintimidating. We want him to talk."

Horace grabs the cell keys and opens the door. I follow him and Radzinsky down the stairs and Sayid's head jerks up at us. Since I'm behind Horace and Radzinsky, I wink at Sayid, letting him know everything's okay.

Horace unlocks the cell and enters, pulling out a pair of electrical clippers from his pocket. My heart rate rises for a moment and I wonder if Horace intends to unknowingly serve up some Karma.

"Put out your hands. Come on."

Sayid holds out his hands and Horace clips off the plastic ties binding Sayid's hands. "Thank you," Sayid says, surprised.

"It's nice to finally hear your voice. I'm Horace." Sayid doesn't respond. "Now's the part where you tell me your name." He waits a few seconds and Sayid says nothing. "I need you to tell me what you were doing out in that jungle."

"Ask him about the model," Radzinsky cuts in.

"Radzinsky! I got this. Those handcuffs? Are you having some kind of problem with your people? Because either you're in some kind of disagreement, which makes me want to help you, or you're a spy, trying to infiltrate us. So which is it?" Sayid says nothing. "Okay. I'm gonna give you an hour to decide whether you want to talk to me. But if you decide you don't want to, then I'm gonna have to take this to the next level."

Sayid again says nothing. Horace nods to me and Radzinsky, sending us up the stairs. When Horace shuts the door, he sighs. "I'll get Jim down here. See what he can do." Horace looks at me. "If LaFleur can't get him to talk, tell him to explain 'Oldham'. He'll know what that means." This is the first time Radzinsky smiles. Oldham must be some kind of code-word for torture.

* * *

><p>Sawyer comes through the door about two hours later. "Oh, good. It's you and not that dimwit Phil."<p>

"Yeah, I'm the new day-shift. Horace said you were coming. What's the plan?"

"The plan is to go along with whatever I tell you, Brown Eyes." He opens the door to the cell and walks down the stairs with me behind him. Sayid looks up from the book Ben brought him, not nearly as surprised as the last two times I've been down here. "How you doin'?" Sawyer asks him, sounding genuinely concerned.

"A twelve-year-old Ben Linus brought me a chicken salad sandwich. How do you think I'm doing?" he says.

"Sweet kid, huh?"

"How can you live with him here?"

"'Cause I ain't got a choice."

"Is that so?"

"Sayid," I say. "Don't."

"Let's see how you feel after three years of livin' in the seventies," Sawyer says, bitterly. "Lucky for you, I spent that time getting myself into a position to save your ass." Sawyer opens the cell door and Sayid stands. "I'm sorry, Sayid," he says, before head-butting him to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask, carful to hide my face from the security camers.

"When I tell them I got your confession I need them to believe that you didn't give it up easy."

"What confession?" Sayid asks.

"We're gonna say you were trying to defect. You're gonna offer some intel on the others in exchange for living with us."

"And why in God's name would I want to do that?"

"What the hell else am I supposed to do with you?"

"Let me go!"

"And then what? I can't just let you go!"

"Why not?"

"'Cause these people trust me! I've built a life here – and a pretty good one. I let you go, all that goes away. So you got yourself a choice, Chief. Either you cooperate and join the party in Dharmaville, or you're on your own."

Sayid looks me over, taking in the DHARMA suit and my nonchalant demeanor about this situation. "Then I guess I'm on my own," he says.

Sawyer lets out a huff. "Come on, Tia." And I follow him back up the stairs. He takes a deep breath as he closes the door. "Things are gonna get complicated."

"Horace said to ask you about Oldham. What the hell is that?"

"_Who_ the hell is that." Sawyer corrects. "He's our version of Sayid. But his tactics are a little more…creative."

"What do you mean, 'creative'?"

"Well, we are in the 70s." He rubs at his temples for a minute. "Why don't you go take lunch? You've had a long day so far and it ain't near over. Oh, and if you see Kate, Hugo, or the doc, don't tell 'em what's going on. Just play dumb for a while."

* * *

><p>I make my way over to the mess hall and spot Kate and Jack sitting at a table. I plop down beside them. "What for lunch?" I ask.<p>

"Waffles," Hurley says, dropping a fully laden try in front of us. "Fresh off the griddle. And don't forget to try the dipping sauces. They really bring out the ham."

"Thanks, Hurley," Jack says, taking a helping. I grab my own.

"So," Hurley says, sitting down. "What's going on with Sayid?"

"Don't know anything yet," Jack says.

"What do you mean, you don't know anything?" Kate asks. "I thought you were at Sawyer's last night. What did he tell you?"

"He told me to leave him alone and let him do his job."

"And you're going to?" Hurley asks. Jack shrugs, taking another bite of waffle. "What about you? You're like, security. Have you seen him at all?"

I clear my throat of syrup. "I've been told to play dumb and that's what I'm gonna do. Sayid is fine for now. If I tell you anything, I could get in trouble. Right now, the head-honcho of this place thinks I can be trusted. I'm gonna keep it that way."

"I'll talk to Juliet, see what she can tell me," Kate says.

"Well, if Sawyer and Tia aren't telling you anything, why would Juliet?"

"Well, why wouldn't she?"

"'Cause they're together."

"What do you mean, they're together?"

"'Together' as they live together. Like, not as roommates. You know, 'together' like you guys were," he says nodding between Jack and Kate. "I thought it was kind of obvious. I mean, who couldn't see that coming?" No one says anything, but Jack and Kate shift between each other awkwardly. "Well, I guess I better... Go make some more waffles," Hurley says, standing and leaving.

* * *

><p>After that awkward meal, I make my way back to the security station, but I'm stopped by Horace. "Get in that van, please," he says, pointing to the one just outside of the building. I step inside and a few minutes later, Sawyer, Phil, Horace, Radzinsky, and a couple other DHARMA folk I don't know, carry Sayid into the car.<p>

"What's going on?" I ask Sawyer.

"This is how we do things around here. We're taking him to Oldham."

"You did explain Oldham to her, Jim?" Horace asks from the front seat.

"I thought it would be a good learn-on-the-job experience. I gave her the basics."

The van drives out into the middle of the jungle to one of the locations that's not on the security grid. We get out of the van. Music is playing from an old phonograph. There's a tent that Horace walks up to. "Oldham?" There's no response. "Hey, man. Are we ready?"

I keep close to Sawyer who's holding Sayid away from Phil and Radzinsky. A man with thinning hair and large glasses comes out of the tent. His eyes are far away. He reminds me of those hippy stoners from the sixties and seventies, except for his DHARMA jumpsuit, which is a gray-blue color in contrast to our tan. "Who is that man?" Sayid whispers to Sawyer.

"He's our you."

Oldham is carrying some kind of dropper and a sugar cube on a petri dish. He drops a few drops of the liquid in the dropper onto the sugar cube and approaches Sayid, who makes a move to run, but Phil's here now and is holding him back.

"Better put him in the restraints," Oldham says. Radzinsky and Phil grab Sayid from Sawyer and drag him over to leather restraints that are secures to a large tree and strap him in. "Don't worry," Oldham says. "They're for your protection. There are side effects to what I'm giving you." He turns to Phil. "Open his mouth."

Radzinsky and Phil struggle for a minute, but they get Sayid's mouth open and Oldham drops th sugar cube inside. Radzinsky forces Sayid's mouth shut and I hear the crunch of the sugar cube. "Don't be afraid. Just turn your mind off. Let it take effect. It's beyond your control, so fighting it is a poor use of your energies. You see, whether you struggle or not, one thing's for sure, friend. You _will_ tell us the truth."

Oh my god. They've got him tripping acid. This is sooooo seventies. At least now, I know that nothing bad is gonna happen to Sayid.

Oh yeah, except the fact he might give me and Sawyer away!

After about a minute Sayid is staring up at the sky, his eyes drifting away. Horace approaches him. "Hello there. Hello?"

Sayid looks at Horace. "I'm going to ask you a few questions," Oldham says. "I want you to relax and answer them truthfully. Not that you'll have any choice about it. What is your name?"

"Sayid. Sayid Jarrah."

"All right, Sayid. Why were you in handcuffs when we found you?"

"Because...because I am a bad man."

"Were you running away from your people?"

"What people?"

"The hostiles."

"I am not a hostile."

"Then where did you come from, Sayid?" Horace asks.

"I came on a plane."

Now Oldham. "What plane?"

"Ajira flight three-one-six. And that's how I returned to the Island."

"'Returned'? You've been here before?"

"Oh, yes. The first time, I was on Oceanic flight eight-one-five. It crashed. I was here for a hundred days. Then I left. Ask Sawyer."

My eyes bug, but then I remember that everyone here knows Sawyer as Jim LaFleur. "Who's Sawyer?" Horace asks.

"Who cares?" Radzinsky yells, cutting in. "None of this matters. Ask him about the Flame."

"Quiet," Horace tells him.

"What do you know about our stations here?" Oldham asks.

"I know the Flame was a communication station. The Pearl was to observe other stations. The Swan was to study electromagnetism. But, of course, that was before the incident—,"

"The Swan?" Radzinsky yells. "How could he know what we were gonna name it? We haven't even built it yet! I told you! He saw the model! You see?! He is a spy!"

"Radzinsky! I'm not gonna tell you again. Cool it," Horace demands.

"You're all going to die, you know," Sayid says nonchalantly.

"What?" Horace asks, his attention back on Sayid.

"You're going to be killed."

"How exactly would you know this, Sayid?"

"Because I am from the future."

Everyone pauses and exchanges confused looks. Sawyer and I try to look as surprised as everyone else. "Maybe I should've used half a dropper," Oldham says. "Oops."

Sayid starts to laugh. A manic, uncontrollable laugh. "You... You used exactly enough!"

Everyone stares at Sayid confused. Then Radzinsky hits him over the head with the butt of a pistol. "Why'd you do that?" Horace yells.

"Because Oldham here gave him too much stuff, so now he's useless! We need to get him back to the Barracks. Get the heads together and figure out what to do with him."

"Fine. Phil, Jim, can you carry him back to the van? Tia?" Horace says, turning to me. "We've allowed more leverage with you than we normally do with new security recruits. You've handled this whole situation well and I'd like you to know that I appreciate it. That being said, if you tell anyone about this, we'll have no choice but to send you back to Ann Arbor."

"I understand," I say. Then I just stand there as Sawyer and Phil carry Sayid into the van and Radzinsky and Horace follow.

"Tia, are you coming?" Horace asks from the driver's seat.

I take one last look at Oldham, this sick, twisted bastard, and wonder how someone like him gets recruited into the DHARMA Initiative. Then I climb into the van and Horace drives us back to the Barracks.

* * *

><p>Phil and I take Sayid back to his cell as Sawyer, Horace, and Radzinsky head over to Horace's house to gather the people that are in charge around here. Phil volunteers for my shift at the monitors, claiming that I've had a long day and should sleep it off. He reminds me not to tell anyone about today.<p>

At my house, Kate shows up, all questions about today. "What happened with Sayid? Where did you take him?"

"To this guy in the middle of the jungle. Nothing really bad happened. He was just tripping on acid."

"Tripping on acid?" Kate asks.

"Well, we are in the seventies, Kate."

"Did he say anything? About us?"

"Yup."

Kate's eyes bulge. "What did you do?"

"He didn't give any of our names. He just said he was from the future."

"And they believed him?"

I take a deep breath. "No, Kate. They just assumed they used too much acid. They're all over at Horace's now, trying to figure out what to do with him."

"Sawyer must have a plan, right?"

"If he does, he's not sharing."

At that moment, someone knocks on the front door. Kate stands from her chair and goes to open it. Sawyer is there, and he doesn't wait for a greeting, he just walks right inside. "Why'd you come back?"

"What?" Kate asks.

"Sayid just filled my ear full of some crap about his damn purpose, and I wanna know. Why'd y'all come back?"

"For Sun," I answer. "She asked me to come back to help her find Jin. So I did. Now I've found Jin, but I have no Sun."

"What about you, Kate?"

She takes a deep breath. "I don't know why everyone else came back. I just know why I did."

Outside, the door still open from Sawyer barging in, the sound of an engine revves loudly. The three of us run to the door and one of the blue DHARMA vans is on fire, speeding towards a house. When it collides, the house catches immediately.

"What? What the hell?!" Sawyer exclaims as Kate and I rush to help people out of the burning house.


	13. Catastrophe

I grab the arms of a woman I do not recognize and pull her out of the window of the burning house. The walkie talkie on my belt goes off, Sawyer's voice yelling out, "All security! All security! This is LaFleur! We have a fire! Everyone get to building fifteen, now!"

"Roger that. I'm on my way," Phil's voice says from a different feed. He shows up moments later, Sawyer eventually managing to start one of the emergency fire hoses and dousing the scorched house.

When the flames have died, Sawyer notices Phil. "Why're you here?" he yells.

"You called all security to the fire."

"Not you, you dimwit. You were supposed to guard the hostile!"

"He's locked up in a cage. We've got nothing to worry about Mr. LaFleur."

"I'll say when we've got nothing to worry about, Lurch," Sawyer grits from his teeth, heading toward the security monitoring station. I decide not to follow, since I'm technically not on duty.

As I make my way back to my house the walkie goes off again. "Attention," Phil's voice says. "The prisoner escaped. The hostile is no longer in custody. Be on the lookout. He could be armed."

Crap. I turn around and start to jog back to the security station, when Jin's voice comes out of the walkie. "LaFleur, it's Jin here. Come in."

"Jin? Jin, what's goin' on?" Sawyer asks from his walkie, but there's no response. "Jin? Jin!?" Nothing. "All security, this is LaFleur. Everyone report to the monitoring station, immediately."

I continue my jog towards the building. I see other beefy security members file inside. I enter, and I'm easily the smallest person there. "Everyone here?" Sawyer asks. "Alright. The plan is to search the grids in teams for the hostile. There's no response from Jin, so we need someone to keep calling him on the walkie until we can get through or find his body." There's an uncomfortable shift throughout the room. I know Sayid would never kill Jin. Jack, maybe. But never Jin. "Phil, you keep trying to get through to Jin while we're on the lookout. Tia, you don't know the grid system yet, so we'll keep you here with a walkie at the monitoring station." I nod in agreement. "Alright, let's move out."

Everyone leaves the building and I'm by myself. The weirdest thing about all of this is that Sawyer seems to genuinely want to protect these people. He actually cares. Seems like Sawyer's done a bit of growing up these past few years.

The door to the station was left ajar and I hear Horace's voice ring out throughout the Barracks. "Okay, everybody listen up! We don't know yet if another attack is coming. So everybody needs to be ready for your security assignments. Make sure you're in contact with your team leaders. LaFleur's got search parties out, but the hostile's got a good jump on us. We're pretty sure he used this fire as a diversion in order to escape."

"He was locked up. How would he start the fire?" a familiar voice asks.

"Who are you?" Horace asks.

"I'm Jack Shephard. I'm new."

"Well, Jack, the way he started the fire is he had help, okay? Somebody torched that van, and then that somebody let him out of his cell. And since the security cameras didn't pick up any hostiles crossing the perimeter that means it was one of us."

There's chatter amongst the DHARMA folk at the news of this new revelation. I had muted my walkie so that Phil's calling for Jin didn't drown out Horace's speech, but now that it's over, I turn it back on. "Hello Jin? Are you there? Jin?! Can you hear me?"

"Hello?" Jin's muffled voice finally answers the call.

"Jin? It's Phil, man. Where have you been? The hostile escaped. We're searching the east grid."

"He's headed north."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Because he attacked me."

At this, I am not surprised. If Jin is as invested in these people as Sawyer and Miles seem to be, then he would have been very cautious about this whole thing, giving Sayid motivation to make a quick getaway. Then I remember what Horace said. Someone on the inside had to help him. It wasn't me and it wasn't Kate. It definitely wasn't Sawyer, Miles, Jin, or Juliet. Could it have been Jack or Hurley? No, I seriously doubt it.

"What?" Phil's voice asks Jin in surprise over the walkie. "Where are you?" There's no response from Jin. "Jin?! You still there? Jin!"

"We have an emergency," Jin says. "One of the children has been shot by the hostile."

The walkie falls from my hand in shock and clatters on the ground. Sayid shot a child? There's only one child here he would kill.

Sayid has just shot a twelve-year-old Benjamin Linus.

* * *

><p>There are plans made over the walkies to pick up Jin and Ben. As the location is given, I switch the monitor to Jin's location. Ben is in his arms, blood spilling from his stomach. Sayid's shot wasn't very clean.<p>

The cavalry of DHARMA security appears on the camera and they load Ben into one of the blue vans. Soon, they're on their way back and I'm not familiar enough to follow them by switching the monitors. I don't know the grids that well.

About fifteen minutes later, I hear a male voice yell out "That's my kid! That's my kid!" Are Ben's parents here? Wow, this is so weird.

So, if Ben dies, does that mean we never come to the Island? Or do we still, but we don't have to deal with the Others? I have no clue how this time travel thing is supposed to work. Faraday could probably explain it, but Faraday is in Ann Arbor.

Sawyer comes down the steps into the station moments later, his hands stained from Ben's blood. "Hey, Brown Eyes," he says to me, sounding completely exhausted. I smile as he starts flicking switches on the monitors. But not much time passes before Kate is in the room with us. She gives me a suspicious look, then turns to Sawyer. "What happened?" she demands.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sawyer asks, turning around to face her.

"That was Ben. That kid who was shot was Ben. Was it Sayid? Did he shoot him?"

"Here's what you need to do, Kate: keep your mouth shut and stop asking questions. 'Cause putting any attention on yourself is the last thing I need right now. Now scram. I don't want you around here."

"I just wanna know what's going on," she says. "Why is Tia in the loop, and I'm not?"

Before Sawyer can answer, Horace's voice comes from outside the door. "LaFleur," he says, entering the room with Miles, Phil, and Jin. Horace notices Kate immediately. "What, uh... What's she doing here?"

Sawyer points awkwardly at Kate. "This is, uh..."

"I'm Kate," she answers for him.

"Kate. She's new over at the motor pool. I was seeing if she saw anything suspicious, but she didn't, so...you can run along, thanks."

Kate quickly leaves the station and Horace turns back to Sawyer and I. "Have either of you checked out the hostile's cell yet?"

"We were a little busy trying to keep the town from burning down, Horace," Sawyer defends.

"Okay. Well, then let's do it." Horace leads us into Sayid's cell. The door is ajar and unbroken. "He didn't break out. Somebody let him out."

Sawyer grabs the set of keys on the bench. "These are janitor's keys."

"We've only got three janitors," Horace says. "There's Roger, Willie and, uh, that new guy. I just met him. His name's Jack."

"Yeah. I just brought him in from the sub. I'll go talk to him. Miles, Tia, you wanna come with me?" Sawyer asks.

"Yeah, sure, boss," Miles says, and I follow the two men up the stairs.

Outside, Sawyer looks around to make sure he can't be heard and he turns to Miles. "All right, I want you to find Jack and Hurley and Kate as quick as you can. Put 'em in a house and sit on 'em."

"What for?" Miles asks, confused.

"'Cause I don't want 'em talking to anybody else. Things are starting to spin out of control here."

"All right, I got it."

Sawyer turns to me. "You're with me. Come on."

"Where are we going?" I ask him.

"The infirmary. They've probably got Juliet in there working on Ben, but she may need an extra pair of hands."

"What makes you think I would be any help in this situation?"

"I thought you took out the doc's appendix?"

"Three years ago. Sawyer, I haven't done anything medical in a long time. I'm out of practice. And I'm no help anyway. I saw Ben's wound on the monitor. It's too difficult to repair. He's a goner."

Before Sawyer can respond, we've made it to the infirmary and a man with sunken eyes sits on the steps on the porch. "Who did this?" he asks Sawyer, standing up. I look at his breast pocket and see that his name is Roger and he's a workman. "Do you know who did this to my son?" Ahh, this is Ben's dad. Roger Linus.

"Not yet," Sawyer tells him. "But we're working on it. How's he doing?"

"I don't know. Juliet told me to wait out here."

"Let me see if I can get an update for ya," Sawyer says, waving my inside.

"Thanks, Jim," Roger says. "Hey, who are you anyway?" he asks me.

"Oh, I'm Tia. I'm new."

"Can you help my son?" he asks me, with pleading eyes. Never in a million years did I think I would ever walk into an O.R. trying to save Ben's life, like Jack had all those years ago on Hydra Island.

"Roger?" Sawyer says, turning back around, not giving me a chance to respond to Roger's pleading.

"Yeah?"

"You happen to have your keys with you?"

"Yeah. Why? What do you need?" Roger starts patting his pockets, but they must be empty since he produces nothing. "I must've left them at...at the house," he says, confused.

"It's all right. Don't you worry about it," Sawyer says to him. "Come on, Tia."

I follow him inside and a woman hands me a surgical face mask. I tie it on, but Sawyer just holds his over his mouth. I follow him to one of the beds, where Juliet stands over it, her hands in Ben's gut. "More gauze," she says t the nurse, who hands it to her. "If we can't stop the hemorrhaging, we're gonna have to pack the whole tract."

"Where's the doctor?" Sawyer asks her.

"At the Looking Glass station til Friday."

"How is he doing?"

"Not well." She tells the nurse to hold on and she walks us away from Ben's cot. "He's still bleeding in there somewhere, and I can't fix it," she says, sounding defeated.

"It's all right," Sawyer says, trying to comfort her. "Maybe Tia can—,"

"No, no not Tia," she protest, shooting me an apologetic look. "Someone needs to get in there who can find the damage that bullet did and fix it. He needs a real surgeon."

Sawyer and I exchange a glance and instantly, I know we're thinking the same thing. But there's no way in hell he would do it. Not again.


	14. Something I Never Thought I'd Do

Sawyer and I jog to Jack and Hurley's house. "There's no way he's gonna do this."

"Oh, he'll do it," Sawyer assures me.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Juliet told me he would never let a patient just die."

I roll my eyes as we make it to Jack's front porch. Sawyer hasn't seen Jack in three years. He's changed. "Doc, I need you to come with us," Sawyer says, opening the door, startling the room.

"Come with you where?" Jack asks, confused.

"Juliet said the kid's losing blood, and we ain't gone none to put back in him. So we need you to show us where he sprung a leak."

Jack looks between Sawyer and I, contemplating the scenario. And just when I think Sawyer might be right… "No."

"What?" Sawyer asks him. The whole room—Kate, Hurley, Miles—they all look shocked.

"No, I'm not coming with you," Jack clarifies.

"If you don't come with us, Jack, that kid's gonna die."

Jack makes a fast glance at Kate. "Then he dies."

I shake my head. "Told you he wouldn't do it, Sawyer." I turn around to leave, but he stops me.

"No, you stay here. If I need anything, I'll come and get you." And before I can protest, he is out the door, his back heading toward the infirmary.

I turn to Jack. "What the hell?" I yell at him. But he doesn't respond. He just stands up and heads into the kitchen with Kate following him. I look over at Hurley and Miles. Hurley sits in the chair, staring at his right hand in front of his face. "Hurley, what are you doing?" I ask him.

"Back to the Future, dude. I'm checking to see if I disappear. If Ben dies, then there's no way we come to the Island and there's no way we can be here, in the past."

I sit down as Miles rolls his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you, Tubby? It doesn't work like that. You can't change anything. Your maniac Iraqi buddy shot Linus. That is what always happened. It's just...we never experienced how it all turns out. Linus isn't dead in thirty years. He won't die now."

"How can you be sure?" I ask him.

"Faraday knows what he's talking about. At least I assume he does. Listen, Gunny, there's nothing I can do about this and there's nothing I need to do. Everything will work out."

I stand up. "That's it. I'm leaving."

"Woah, you can't leave," Miles protests, standing up, his rifle in his hand, but pointed at the floor.

"What are you gonna do, shoot me?" I say.

I see Kate come out of the kitchen. "You leaving?" she asks. I nod my head. "Good."

Miles yells at us, but we ignore him and head for the infirmary.

* * *

><p>"Can I help you?" A woman in a DHARMA nurse uniform asks Kate and I.<p>

"Yeah," I say. "This is Kate, one of the newbies from the sub. LaFleur told me the kid was losing blood and I remembered her telling me she was a universal donor. Think she can help out?"

"Well, let me go ask Juliet," she says.

Kate turns to me. "When did you get so good at lying like that?"

"I've always been a good liar."

We stand there awkwardly for a minute until Juliet comes out of the surgery room, removing her bloody gloves, a thankful look on her face. She leads us over to a chair that Kate sits in. Juliet grabs gauze and rubs Kate's inner arm, then grabs the needle. I can see Ben's body, bandaged and weak lying on a bed, his curtain not quite closed. "This might hurt for a second," Juliet warns, sticking Kate with the needle. "Good. Very brave," she praises as she tapes down the needle and Kate's blood starts to flow. "So James told me that Jack wouldn't help, but he didn't say why."

"If I understood why Jack does what he does, I sure as hell wouldn't be sitting here," Kate says.

"Off island, did something happen with you two?" Juliet asks, removing her gloves.

"We were engaged. Does that count?"

I notice Juliet avoid Kate's gaze as she checks the blood flow. But soon, Roger Linus comes into the room. "What's going on?" he asks.

"Roger, I asked you to wait outside," Juliet says.

"No, what's going on with my kid?"

"Kate is giving us some fresh blood so we can transfuse Ben," she explains.

Roger throws an uneasy look at Kate. "Well, I'm not waiting outside," he says.

"You know, you and Tia could check on Ben, and Roger here could keep me company, make sure I don't pass out." Kate says.

"What's she gonna do? I thought she was just a security camera monitor?" Roger asks.

I do my best not to shoot Kate a look, but Juliet saves me from explaining. "Tia here has medical training. Roger, why don't you have a seat?" She gestures to the chair that I had risen from next to Kate and I follow her behind Ben's curtain, which muffle's Kate and Roger's conversation.

"How is this looking?" I ask Juliet.

Her face tells me everything I need to know. Ben lays on the bed, a bandage around his torso and his breathing weak. "I'm lucky I got the bullet out. He'd have been gone a long time ago."

"Juliet, what happens if he dies? He's the one who brought you to the Island."

"I know. I haven't seen Faraday in over a year. He's the one who could—,"

At that moment, Ben starts gasping for breath. His monitor goes off, showing a failing heartbeat. Roger is there immediately. "What's going on?"

"He's going into hypoxic shock," I tell Roger. I grab his arm and start pulling him out of the room, but he stands his ground, looking down at his dying son.

"What does that mean?! What's the matter with him?!" he continues.

"Roger, get out of here!" Juliet shouts, grabbing tools from around the room.

"What does that mean?" Roger asks me again, his eyes never leaving Ben.

"It means he's losing oxygen. There's not enough oxygen in his arteries. He can't breathe.

"What?" he says confused over the hustle of the medical team.

Juliet puts an oxygen mask over Ben's face and starts pumping. "Tia, get him out of here!" she shouts.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" Roger shouts as I pull him harder.

"Please, Roger. Just wait outside," I tell him, and too my surprise, he follows. We pass Kate on our way out, who's getting released from the blood tube by a nurse. On the porch I sit Roger down on the step and he throws his head in his hands and tries to steady his breathing. I want to say something to him, but I don't know what I can possibly say. What can you say to the father of your twelve year old arch nemesis who you know is going to grow up into a conniving, manipulating, bug-eyed, bastard?

I'll admit, I never really thought of Ben having a past. Or at least a past when he was a child. What kind of father is this man? I notice the dark purple veins jutting out from his hands. And Ben's glasses that were laying on his bedside table, they were broken. Taped back together. My left hand starts to twitch and I think of my father, who I haven't seen in three and a half years, right before Australia. His bloodshot eyes, the purple veins, and the uneasiness after going too long without his scotch…

And it all makes sense now. Well, maybe it doesn't make complete sense, but the pieces are starting to fall together. Ben grows up in the DHARMA Initiative, with this drunk for a father, who beats him and makes him feel like he doesn't have a home. So he looks for a home. And the only other people on the Island are the Hostiles.

And that's how Ben became an Other. Or at least partially.

Kate comes out of the building and sits down next to Roger. But Roger stands and starts pacing the porch. A few minutes later, Juliet comes out of the infirmary.

"How is he?" Roger asks.

"He's stable," she says.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"He's got some fresh blood running through him, which is a good thing," she says, giving Kate a thankful look. "Roger, I need you to go out to the medical station. There are some supplies there that we don't have here." She hands Roger a piece of paper.

"Okay. Hey, I just wanna say, I-I... I wanna say thanks. I know that you're doing everything you can to save him, and...all right, I'm-I'm gonna go, okay?" Roger uneasily heads off to the motor pool to get a car.

"Is he any better?" Kate asks, standing up.

"He's stable now. But I can't, um... I can't fix it."

"What about the sub? I mean, can we take him somewhere?"

"No. It's gone. It won't be back for a couple of months."

"But Juliet," I say. "He can't die, right? He didn't die before and he can't die now."

"He is going to die. He is in a medical situation that is not resolvable."

"Okay, well, we can't just sit here and do nothing. I mean, there's got to be someone who can help him." Kate says.

"Maybe there's something they can do," Juliet offers. Oh, man. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this.

"They?" Kate asks, not catching on.

I turn to her. "The Others."

* * *

><p>Kate and Juliet head inside the infirmary to unhook Ben and I make a dash for the motor pool. Apparently since I'm security, I can rent out a van of jeep, no questions asked. I manage to persuade one of the mechanics to give me a set of keys to one of the van's since Roger just took the last jeep to The Staff. I hop in and start the car back into the Barracks.<p>

Kate is waiting at the door of the infirmary and when she sees me, she runs back inside to help Juliet with Ben. I jump out and open the back doors, laying down a blanket that Ben can lay on.

They bring Ben out on a gurney and the three of us work to move him onto the cot. Kate closes the door and Juliet moves the gurney to the side

"Okay, let's go," Juliet says, heading for the shotgun seat. "I'm coming with you."

"No, no, no, no. If something goes wrong or we get caught, it doesn't matter for us, but you've got a whole life here," Kate says. "And besides, if Sawyer knew that I got you involved in this, he'd kill me." She takes Juliet's place in the shotgun seat and I head over to the drivers.

"How are you gonna manage?" Juliet asks.

"We'll manage, don't worry," I assure her, starting the engine.

Juliet looks in on the passenger window. "Sawyer's gonna find out Ben's gone, and when he does, I have to tell him what happened. But I'll give you as much of a head start as I can. Good luck."

I smile at her, completely in shock with myself at what I'm about to do. I head out on a trail to the pylons, wondering how the hell we're gonna get past those.

* * *

><p>At the pylons I grab my pack and flip through the security manual I was given, looking for some kind of code to turn off the sonic fence. I hear Kate open the door of the van and Ben starts to mumble and cough. "Tell my..."<p>

"Try not to talk, okay?" Kate tells him.

"Tell my dad I'm sorry I stole his keys."

Behind me I hear an engine. I turn and another blue DHARMA van is headed in our direction, a tuft of dirty-blond hair at the wheel. Sawyer hops out of the van and I'm speechless. I don't know how to defend this action.

"I know you gotta stop us," Kate says to him. "But we can't just let that kid die."

Sawyer takes a deep breath. "Damn it, Freckles. I ain't here to stop you. I'm here to help you." He walks over to the pylon with the keypad and turns it off. Then he grabs Ben out of the van and heads out into the jungle. Kate and I stare at him for a moment, but he turns around, Ben in his arms. "Hey Laverne and Shirley, are you comin' or what?"

Kate and I exchange a look at our newest nicknames. "Only if I get to be Laverne," I joke, following him into the once dubbed Jungle of Mystery.

"Figure out how you were gonna carry him out there by yourselves?" Sawyer asks us.

"Well, the line's just right over there, right?" I ask, remembering from the grid maps. "The Others are on the other side."

"Well, they ain't right on the other side. We better get movin'."

"Hey," Kate says, stopping us. "Why are you doing this?" she asks Sawyer. "Why are you helping us?"

Sawyer takes a deep breath. "When I found out Ben was gone, and Juliet told me what you two were up to, I asked that exact damn question. Why are you helping Ben? And she said...no matter what he's gonna grow up to be, it's wrong to let a kid die. So that's why I'm doing this. I'm doing it for her."

Wow. Not the response I was expecting. Sawyer and Juliet? Nope, never saw that one coming. Its one thing for them to be sitting around, stuck in the seventies playing house. But for Sawyer to actually be in love and committed? This shocks me more than his devotion to the DHARMA folks.

For the first time in a long time, I really miss Boone and I grasp his necklace tightly in my hand.

"You know, I can take him for a while," Kate offers Sawyer.

Sawyer chuckles. "Sure you can."

"You know, his father said that you think Ben broke Sayid out."

"Kid'll do almost anything if he's pissed off enough at his folks," Sawyer explains, laying Ben down on the ground and taking a break. I bend down at the stream beside us and fill up my bottle for a drink.

"Is that why you asked me to take care of your daughter?"

Splash. My head jerks up at Kate, who's looking intently at Sawyer. A daughter? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But I am. I really am.

Sawyer looks between Kate and I, debating whether to continue with me here, but he does. "Did you?" he asks.

"Of course I did," she says. I turn my back to them and pour some water into Ben's mouth.

"What's she like?" Sawyer asks. Ah, he's never met this daughter. That makes more sense. Even now, in charge of a whole community and living with Juliet, I can't see Sawyer as the fatherly type.

"Clementine?"

"Yeah, Clementine." Oh, what a cute name!

"Oh, she's beautiful. Looks just like you when she smiles. She's growing up fast. Already has a little attitude."

"I bet you and Cassidy had a lot to talk about."

"She had an interesting theory on why you jumped off the chopper."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"She thought you were worried about what would happen if you didn't."

Sawyer coughs and I look up. He's staring at me and I know he wants a moment alone. I stand and walk further down the stream at what they think is out of ear shot. I hear Sawyer continue. "You and me would've never worked out, Kate. I wasn't any more fit to be your boyfriend than I am to be that little girl's father."

"You seem to be doing all right with Juliet."

"Yeah. I've done a lot of growing up the past three years."

"Hands up!" a new voice shouts. I hear several guns cock their bullets. Instinctively, I reach behind me, but I'm in a jumpsuit, and there's no glock in the butt of my jeans. I forgot a gun! How could I be so stupid?

I feel the cold tip of a gun on the back of my neck. "Stank up slowly, and walk towards your friends," a man's voice says to me, and I head to Kate, Ben, and Sawyer.

"Do not move. I said don't move," another Other shouts. "This is a violation of the truce. You're over the line."

"We know," Sawyer yells. "This kid's been shot. That's both of our problems. So unless you want to go to war, you're gonna take us to Richard Alpert, and you're gonna do it now."

The Others all exchange glances and the one at the head points to Ben, who's still out of it on the ground. "Pick him up," he says to Sawyer, who pulls Ben into his arms. There's a jab in my back as the rifle barrel pokes me. "Move," The Other commands and we follow him deeper into the jungle.

"Don't worry. We got 'em right where we want 'em," I hear Sawyer whisper to Kate as we're lead through the trees.

"Shut up and keep moving!"

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Sawyer snaps at the Other.

"Hello there, James," A voice says from the jungle. A tall, attractive man with dark hair and a button-down shirt comes out of the trees. He also appears to be wearing eyeliner.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Sawyer asks him. This must be Richard Alpert.

"You asked my people to bring you to me. Here I am." Richard glances at Ben in Sawyer's arms. "Is that Benjamin Linus?"

"You two know each other?" Sawyer asks, confused.

"What happened to him?" Richard asks, ignoring Sawyer's question.

"He was shot," Kate says, bringing Richard's attention over to us, the two strangers.

"And who might you two be?" he asks.

"They're with me," Sawyer defends.

"And why are you here?"

"Because we need you to save his life," Kate says. "Can you?"

"If I take him, he's not ever gonna be the same again."

"What do you mean by that?" I asks.

"What I mean is that, he'll forget this ever happened, and that his innocence will be gone. He will always be one of us. You still want me to take him?"

Kate and I exchange a glance. So this is the answer. This is why future Ben doesn't remember that the guy who beat him up in the hatch for answers is the same man who shot him when he was twelve. Instead of solving the problem, Sayid gave the Others the opportunity to change Ben into the man he will become.

Whatever happened, happened. There's nothing we can do to change the future. This is what always happened.

Richard walks up to Sawyer and takes Ben out of his arms. The man with the gun whispers to him and I barely make it out. "Richard, you shouldn't do this without asking Ellie. And if Charles finds out—,"

"Let him find out. I don't answer to either of them."

"Where are you taking him?" Kate says, making a move to follow Richard, but Sawyer grabs her arm.

"Come on," he whispers, pulling her in the opposite direction. The three of us head back to our vans at the pylons.


	15. I Deal With Phil and Faraday

At the pylon field, I notice a security camera over one of them, its red recording light flashing. "Sawyer," I call. "Who's on duty at the monitoring station?"

"Miles," he answers, following my gaze to the camera. "Dammit." He pulls out his walkie and changed the station to a private line. "Miles, you there?" he says into the speaker. "Pick up."

"Jim, where the hell are you?" Miles's voice answers.

"I'll fill you in later. Right now I need you to take care of something."

"Like what?"

"The security tapes from the pylon camera feeds. They need to accidentally get erased." Sawyer bends down and enters a few numbers into the control panel at the base of one of the pylons, disabling it and we pass through.

"Erased? Why?" Miles asks.

"I ain't got time for questions, Miles. Just do it."

"Okay. Okay. Uh, which ones?"

"Look on your monitors." Sawyer starts waving up at the camera. "You see us?"

"Yeah. You're on number four. Is that Kate and Tia? What the hell are you doing out there?"

"Just erase number four. And if anyone asks, I'm off the grid. I'm looking for the escaped Hostile."

"You mean your pal Sayid?"

"Damn it, Miles! You gonna help me or not?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

"All right. I owe you one."

Kate crawls into the van and Sawyer walks up to her window. "All right, I want you to go back and find Juliet, see if anyone's noticed yet if Little Ben's gone missing."

"What are you gonna do when they find out?" Kate asks him.

"Do my best to cover it up. In case you haven't noticed, I'm Head of Security."

"What about me?" I ask.

"We're gonna scout the grids. Look for Sayid. Best we find him before someone else does."

Kate starts her engine and floors it up the hill, back towards the Barracks.

* * *

><p>"So now you know my big secret." Sawyer says as he drives the van through the jungle.<p>

"About your daughter? Listen, I'm sorry I heard all of that. It's your business and none of mine."

"I noticed you're still wearing that necklace. Guess that means you didn't find anyone back in the real world."

"Nope. Never did. I had so much stuff going on back home, dating wasn't really on the table."

"So what exactly have you been doing for three years?"

"You'd get pissed if I told you."

"Try me."

I take a deep breath and let it out, explaining everything, ending with the attempt on Ben's life at the pier. Sawyer is quiet for a moment, but eventually says, "So let me get this straight. You and Sun spent two and a half years searching for Big Ben and when you finally found him, you not only let him live, but you let him persuade you to come back here?"

"When Locke came to all of us, he said you were in danger. We lied to the whole world to keep you safe, but when you weren't safe anymore, it felt like all of it was for nothing. Sawyer, I promise that I didn't come here to ruin this great life you've built. I certainly didn't come here expecting to be in the seventies with the DHARMA Initiative and the Asian guy from the hatch videos whose name is still a mystery to me. It's weird and creepy and you might be used to it, but I'm not."

"Cool you're jets, Brown Eyes. I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"Hell no. Back in the old days, you were really the only person on this damn Island I trusted."

"Not even Kate?"

He smiles and maneuvers around a tree. "Well, that's a little different, but my point is, is that I'm happy to see you. I always found myself wishing that you'd jumped off that chopper with me. You'd have been a way better lieutenant then Miles or Jin."

"What makes you think you'd be in charge?" I joke, poking him with my elbow.

"Partners, then."

I take another breath and sink into the passenger seat. "You know, I like 1977 Sawyer. 2004 Sawyer was a total ass."

"And 1977 Tia is still as smart and resourceful as 2004 Tia."

I smile in appreciation of his complement, but he couldn't be more wrong. 2004 Tia could perform simple surgeries and be of some medical use, especially when it came to removing bullets. 1977 Tia couldn't do anything for Ben on that table. 2004 Tia was a person with feelings and empathy. 1977 Tia feels comparatively numb.

I'm numb when I think about Boone. I'm numb whether I'm saving Ben Linus or threatening to kill him. I'm numb when I think about my family back home. I'm numb when I realize I've had a true friend over all of these years.

2004 Tia wouldn't have been numb. So why can't I turn my emotions back on?

* * *

><p>Sawyer and I searched everywhere, but Sayid was nowhere to be seen. Back at the Barracks, night has fallen and Sawyer invites me to his and Juliet's place for a beer and I feel obligated to accept.<p>

"James. You're back," Juliet says. She nods at me in greeting.

"Barely," Sawyer says. "You ever had one of those days you feel like the little Dutch boy with your finger in the—," Sawyer stops talking as he realizes Juliet is not alone. Jack is sitting in the living room, a mug in his hands. "Doc. Hey. What's going on?"

Jack stands up. "Ben's father thinks that Kate had something to do with his son going missing."

"Why the hell would he think that?"

Jack and Juliet exchange a look. "Because she talked to him, tried to make him feel better," Juliet explains.

Sawyer scoffs. "Her heart was in the right place," Jack defends.

"Yeah, well, where was her head?"

"I had a talk with Roger. I don't think he's gonna say anything to anyone for now. Just wanted you to know." Jack walks over to Juliet and hands her his coffee mug. "Thank you."

"Yeah? Well, thanks for filling me in, Doc," Sawyer says.

"No problem. Tia, you wanna walk back to the house?"

"Oh, no thanks," I say. "I'm gonna stay here for a bit."

Jack nods and heads out the door. Sawyer follows him and leans against the doorframe, looking out into the center of the residence. Juliet brings me a can of DHARMA beer and I sit down, popping the top and taking of sip of the dull flavor. "Hey, boss," I hear from the front door and look over to see the top on Phil's head behind Sawyer's body.

"Hey," Sawyer greets him. I can tell he's trying not to sound uneasy.

"We got a development. You and the new girl better come to the office."

"Phil, her and I have been running around the jungle all day, so whatever developments you got can wait a while." He starts to turn around, but Phil keeps going.

"I know who took the kid."

My hand holding the beer clenches reflexively and a blob of beer falls onto the carpet. "Yeah?" Sawyer answers, turning back to Phil. "Who's that?"

Phil pulls something out of the bag around his shoulder. Sawyer shifts slightly and I notice that it's a VCR tape. The same kind of tapes they use on the video surveillance monitors.

"You and her," Phil says, nodding over to me.

"Got a perfectly good explanation for what you saw on that tape," Sawyer says, moving out of the doorframe.

"I sure as hell hope so."

Sawyer motions for Phil to come inside. Phil takes off his pack and lays it on the coffee table in front of me. I place my crinkled beer can beside it and stand up. Juliet has gone into the kitchen.

"You talk to Horace yet?" Sawyer asks.

"No. I thought that after three years of working together, I'd give you the benefit of the doubt—,"

After getting his answer, Sawyer punches Phil in the face. I grab a large book off of the shelf behind me and whack Phil's head with it as his body comes my way. He falls to the floor, unconscious as Juliet comes out of the kitchen.

"Get some rope," Sawyer says to her. She runs back into the kitchen and he turns back to me. "Give me a hand, Brown Eyes," he says, grabbing Phil's feet. I grab his arms and we carry him to the hallway, where Juliet brings us rope and we tie Phil's wrists together and duct tape his mouth shut.

"Now what do we do with him?" I ask, looking between Sawyer and Juliet.

They exchange a look and Juliet is the first to speak. "We need to look like everything is normal. Tia, you need to go back to your house, but you can't tell anyone, not even Kate, about this. We need to keep it as secret as possible. If anyone gets wind of this, they'll go straight to Horace and we can't have that."

I look between them, their faces giving away their worries of getting caught, their lives destroyed. I can't be the one to let that happen. "Alright," I agree. "But promise you'll let me know as soon as things go wrong."

Sawyer looks down at Phil. "Things already went wrong."

* * *

><p>After stuffing Phil in a closet I head back to my house, but before I make the halfway point, I'm stopped by Horace.<p>

"Did you check out a van today?" he asks me.

"Um, yeah," I answer nervously. "LaFleur told me to. Said he needed it."

"You've seen LaFleur today?" Horace asks me, surprised.

"Yeah, he was showing me around the Island's grid system while we looked for the escaped Hostile."

"Well, then since he's spent his sweet time giving you the prime tour would you mind running that van out to the sub dock for me?"

"Sure. But, why, though? I thought the sub wasn't due back for a couple of months."

"It's not staying. It's just bringing us a few of the scientists from Ann Arbor." My eyes widen at this news. Faraday is in Ann Arbor! Maybe he's coming in on this sub. Horace notices my silence and continues. "Anyway, Miles is headed out there already. He'll meet you there."

"Great. Thanks, Horace."

* * *

><p>I get to the Pala Ferry dock and see men in jumpsuits unloading lots of important looking equipment. I spot Miles at the door of the submarine, pulling Daniel Faraday out of the hole. I park the van next to a large pile of equipment and tell the guy beside it to load my van then make a beeline for Miles and Faraday.<p>

"Need a hand?" I ask. Faraday gives me a long look-over and Miles's head watches the two of us like a tennis match.

Before anyone can say anything, Pierre Chang/Marvin Candle/whatever the hell his name actually is stands on a chair and speaks to the whole group. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, you know why you're here. I wish you could all get a good night's sleep, but—,"

Miles decides whatever he has to say isn't important and grabs Faraday's attention again. "What the hell are you doing back here, Dan? Once you left for Ann Arbor, I figured you'd gotten rich, invented the DVD or something."

Faraday holds up a photograph. The same photograph that features Jack, Hurley, Kate, and I as new recruits of The DHARMA Initiative. "This is what I'm doing back here. When did you get here?" Dan asks me.

"A few days ago. Sawyer managed to make it look like we were—,"

"We don't have time," Dan cuts me off. "I need you to take me to Jack's right now, okay?"

Unfortunately, neither Miles, nor I can leave as we're shuttling these scientists and their equipment back to the Barracks. Faraday fidgets as Chang's speech goes on and on and the shuttle back is slow going as we don't want to break any of the equipment. By the time we get back, it is morning and Faraday is super jumpy. "Okay, where is Jack?" he asks for the fifth time.

"He's over here, Dan. Calm down," Miles tells him, then leads the way towards Jack's house.

Oh the porch, Faraday knocks intently on the door. Jack opens it and before he can even react to the situation, Faraday forces his way into the house. "Jack. How did you get back here?" he asks, with no introduction.

"Faraday? What the—," Jack says, confused.

"How did you do it? How did you get back to the Island?"

"Where have you been?" Jack asks him.

"I was…I was just at DHARMA headquarters in Ann Arbor. I was doing some research. What's more important right now... how did you get back here to 1977?"

Jack takes a deep breath and turns to Miles and I. "What's going on?"

"Don't look at me. I just carried his luggage," Miles says.

"Jack, how?" Dan asks again.

Jack must have just woken up, because he's very groggy. "Uh... we were on a plane, and then—,"

"Who told you to get on a plane?" Faraday asks, cutting him off.

"As a matter of fact, Dan, it was your mother."

Faraday takes a breath, looking between Jack and I. "And how did she convince you, Jack? Did she tell you it was your destiny?"

"Yeah. That's exactly what she said," Jack answers, which is true. He looks as confused as I feel.

"Well, I got some bad news for you two. You don't belong here at all. She was wrong." Jack and I look between each other in complete amazement. What could Eloise possibly have to gain by sending us back to the Island if it wasn't really our "destiny"? Not that I ever believed in that John Locke crap, but this doesn't make any sense.

In our moment of silence, Faraday is on the move again. He rushes out of the house, followed by Miles. "Miles, I need you to bring me to the Orchid," Dan tells him. "Can you drive me right now? Please?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I guess."

"Thanks. Come on. Let's go."

Jack and I run after Faraday, calling for him to stop as he and Miles climb into a jeep. "Faraday! Wait up!"

"Miles, come on. Jack, Tia, we'll be right back." He assures us.

"Hey, what did you mean, you mother was wrong? Daniel!"

"I just…I just have an errand to run. Be right back!" he calls as the jeep heads in the opposite direction of us and quickly out of sight.

"Now what?" Jack asks, turning back to me, looking pissed off.

I remember the Phil thing from last night and I know this is the last thing they need to deal with right now, but I don't know what else to do.

"We need to tell Sawyer and Juliet." I'm about to tell him the Phil thing, but then I remember Juliet said not to tell anyone and I need to have something go their way for once.

But I know that no matter what we do, who we tell, there's no way we'll be in DHARMAville much longer.


End file.
